Combat fans witnessed a boxing match between former UFC icons Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, this past weekend. Diaz was declared the winner by a unanimous decision. Following the bout, Masvidal was fielding questions from the media at the post-fight press conference. Surprisingly, Teofimo Lopez, the WBO super lightweight champion, was also there, and he quizzed Masvidal about his move from the UFC to boxing.

Nate Diaz has a bit of experience in boxing as he fought Jake Paul in August last year. Although Diaz lost the bout, he certainly must have gained something from the bout. It was also Masvidal’s second time inside the ring, but the scale of this boxing match was much bigger than his 4-round bout in 2005. However, despite the defeat, he is happy about what he did this time around while transitioning from MMA to boxing. 

It takes one to know…

Lopez has shared his admiration for Gamebred multiple times before. The two have been friends for a very long time and have even worked out and sparred each other in the past. Maybe this is the reason that he attended the fight and even stayed for the post-fight press conference. When the chance presented itself, the boxing champion took the mic and asked Jorge Masvidal a question that most boxers would naturally ask a veteran of another combat sport coming into boxing.

“I noticed something from you implementing from the UFC, and coming into boxing now, I’ve seen that you’ve been more ambidextrous. And moving more to southpaw and switching it up to an orthodox, normal stance. How does it feel kind of like converting into it now from boxing to UFC, now that you’ve done both?” asked Teofimo Lopez

He explained the learning curve that he had to take going from an MMA background to boxing. Thankfully Masvidal had the help of coaches like Jorge Capetillo who trained him in the ways of boxing.

“You know, it was a process. When I first got to the gym, hats off to Capetillo, he took me from the jump rope all the way to everything that I did tonight in the ring. He took away a lot of sh*t that I didn’t need at boxing and the things that were working out. He saw you know this could work in a boxing ring. Let’s polish him up and keep him moving,” Masvidal explained.

He went on to add that boxing is a “beautiful sport”, and of all the martial art sports, boxing comes most naturally to him. He also said that he hasn’t mastered the craft yet, and he just wants to keep getting better at it.

Based on Compubox stats, it seems Jorge Masvidal managed to land more power punches on his opponent than Diaz. However, it just wasn’t enough. But, going forward, Gamebred has a much better chance of coming out with a win the next time he enters a boxing ring, provided his opponent isn’t a traditional boxer with experience. Speaking of the fight, there’s someone from the UFC who has greatly benefited from their bout— it is none other than the Irish fighting sensation, Conor McGregor. Let’s explore how he profited from this match.

Conor McGregor chooses his side

Conor McGregor has faced Nate Diaz twice inside the octagon in the past. The two fights were among the most exciting showdowns in the sport. Although the Irishman has not fought Masvidal, he had been in an online banter with him. Despite the heated rivalry between McGregor and Diaz, he chose to put his money on the Stockton native. In one of his X posts before the fight, McGregor stated that he was putting “$500,000 on Diaz” for the boxing fight.

The Irish fighter explained in his post that he chose Diaz based on form, experience, and solely hands being used. Interestingly, Diaz won the bout, and McGregor revealed that he had earned $1,625,000 from the bet he placed on Diaz. He revealed in another tweet, “THE RICH GET RICHER!!! WELL done Nate, congrats!”

McGregor was slated to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303. However, the highly anticipated fight was canceled. There have been no further updates about when ‘The Notorious’ will return to the octagon. Meanwhile, what are your thoughts on Jorge Masvidal’s interaction with Teofimo Lopez? Share your thoughts in the comments below.