UFC News: Dana White officially announces date and event for Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal

Modified Sep 09, 2019 06:17 GMT

It's official. As revealed by Dana White to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Nate Diaz will meet Jorge Masvidal inside the Octagon on November 2nd at UFC 244, scheduled to take place at the MSG.

Dana White also confirmed that the fight will be for the 'BMF' belt. No really, the UFC will actually be introducing a special belt for the highly-anticipated showdown. That's how big this fight is!

Per White, fans were bullish on seeing this fight. He intends to make a special BMF belt for the winner. He said it had be five rounds, but too big for a UFC Fight Night.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 7, 2019

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There will NOT be any title fights booked to UFC 244 under Diaz vs. Masvidal, per White. He didn’t want a title fight to be a co-main to a non title bout.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 7, 2019

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@malkikawa inaugural BMF title fight
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 7, 2019

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The backstory

Diaz returned to the Octagon after nearly four years when he took on Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 last month. The Stockton brawler showed no signs of ring rust en route to his unanimous decision victory over Showtime.

In his post-fight interview, Diaz gave props to Masvidal before calling him out for a mouthwatering clash. Unsurprisingly enough, the fans have been pushing for the fight to happen ever since Diaz planted the seeds after his impressive comeback performance.

Diaz and Masvidal have also done their bit when it comes to marketing the fight on social media and in interviews.

As Dana White revealed during the announcement of the fight, fans have been bullish about seeing Diaz and Masvidal locked up inside a cage and the company was left with no option but to book the fight.

What to expect from Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal?

White stated that UFC 244 at the Madison Square Garden will be main evented by the fight between the two UFC veterans and that there will be no championship fights added to the show.

He explained that Diaz vs. Masvidal was too big a fight to be featured on a Fight Night card, and the magnitude of the clash warranted a main event slot at a bigger show.

The UFC 244 card is shaping up to be one of the most stacked fight cards of the year and the event will not even have a proper title on the line. Here's how the card looks thus far along with Diaz vs. Masvidal as the headliner: