Nate Diaz has settled his score against Jorge Masvidal! The two first faced off inside the Octagon for the inaugural BMF title at UFC 244 in 2019 and the Stockton native ended up losing the fight via doctor stoppage in the third round. After choosing to become a free agent after his last fight in the UFC at UFC 279 in 2022, Diaz made the move to the squared circle and made his professional boxing debut against Jake Paul in 2023.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Diaz would be taking on Masvidal to settle their ‘BMF’ score in the boxing ring in a 10-round bout. However, with ‘Gamebred’ still being under a UFC contract while he took part in this fight, Solomon Engel, the founder and CEO of ‘Fanmio’ who set up this bout has provided an interesting look into how the UFC and Dana White let one of their major stars compete outside the Octagon.

‘Fanmio’ founder reveals UFC and Dana White’s role in Jorge Masvidal being able to box Nate Diaz  

Nate Diaz demonstrated his relentless cardio and pressure as he secured a majority decision over Jorge Masvidal with the bout being scored 95-95, 97-93, and 98-92 in the Stockton native’s favor, with some fans questioning the outcome. The score between them now stands at 1-1 across both MMA and boxing, but according to an interview with ESPN before the bout, Diaz had revealed that he was originally pursuing a rematch in MMA against Masvidal.

Diaz stated, “I was like, why don’t we fight an MMA? Oh, he can’t fight MMA, he is not allowed”, illustrating the fact that due to Diaz’s free agency and Masvidal still being under contract with the UFC, the rematch couldn’t be set up as an MMA bout.

However, according to Solomon Engel, the UFC was open to the idea of a boxing match instead. During the post-fight press conference, Engel was asked to share the process of setting up this match with the contractual conditions for both men in mind. Engel stated, “…fortunately we have a great relationship with them (UFC), he (Masvidal) is under contract with them still. We are under contract with him exclusively for boxing but it was a pleasure working with them and putting this deal together.”

The statement aligns with ‘Gamebred’s recent interview with Michael Bisping where he’d revealed that he was allowed to take on 3 boxing fights before the UFC  and Dana White wanted him to return to finish out his contract with the organization. Masvidal stated, “(After these three fights) back to the UFC. The UFC said one of the conditions is that I come back and do one (more) fight.”

This unique arrangement highlights the fact that UFC boss Dana White isn’t opposed to certain fighters pursuing cross-over bouts which led to the fans witnessing a highly anticipated rematch between two fan-favorite fighters. But what are Jorge Masvidal’s plans for his eventual return to the UFC?

‘Gamebred’ wants Leon Edwards when he comes back to the Octagon 

Jorge Masvidal’s last fight in the UFC ended in a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 following which he announced his decision to step away from active competition. Masvidal had been unsuccessful in his two attempts at the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 and UFC 261, but for his return to the UFC, he has his eyes set on the new king of the 170 lbs division, Leon Edwards.

Speaking with Michael Bisping on his YouTube channel, Masvidal recently stated, “I would love to fight Leon (Edwards). Hopefully, he still has the belt when I come back around, let’s see what happens man”

There is already history between the two dating back to 2019 when the pair got involved in a backstage altercation after UFC London which led to the infamous, ‘three piece and a soda’ moment. However, with Edwards set to defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 on July 27, it remains to be seen how the division’s landscape will be when Masvidal makes his return. Do you think Jorge Masvidal gets a title shot against Leon Edwards if he is still champion when he comes back? Why or Why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!