Nate Diaz ensured Conor McGregor wasn’t wrong for betting on him! The Stockton native faced off against Jorge Masvidal in the boxing ring for a rematch of their ‘BMF’ title clash from UFC 244 in 2019. The highly anticipated bout for the inaugural BMF title ended in a doctor stoppage in the third round after Diaz was opened up from a cut above his eye, leaving fans wanting a proper ending to the clash.
While Diaz became a free agent after his last fight at UFC 279 in 2022, Masvidal was granted a unique opportunity to pursue the boxing match despite still being under UFC contract. The clash between the two fan favorites had drawn a lot of attention in the combat sports world, including Conor McGregor, who had stated on social media that he would be placing a significant bet on his rival to come out on top against ‘Gamebred’!
Nate Diaz has an interesting reaction to Conor McGregor winning his bet
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In a post made on X ahead of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s clash, Conor McGregor stated, “I’ve decided to put $500,000 on Diaz to win tonight’s boxing match. Range, form, experience, solely hands being used, I can’t see Masvidal causing any problems to Nate in a boxing ring whatsoever… $500k gets me back $1,625,000 all in.”
The fight ended up being a demonstration of Diaz’s legendary volume punching and pressure as he continued to walk forward and land shots on Masvidal throughout the 10 rounds. Despite some solid shots being landed in return by Masvidal, the bout was declared a majority decision victory for Diaz.
While Masvidal did claim that he felt he had done enough to win the bout in his post-fight interview, the score between the two now stands at 1-1. During the post-fight press conference, Nate Diaz was asked to share his thoughts on making Conor McGregor $1.6 million richer with this win over Masvidal.
Nate Diaz on hearing Conor McGregor bet $500K on him to win. pic.twitter.com/dFhMiiFLKe
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 7, 2024
In his trademark nonchalant manner, Diaz responded by nodding and stating, “That’s cool, good job for us” as the audience burst out into laughter in the background. Diaz was reported to have secured a $500,000 pay-out for the bout against Masvidal, as such, his laughter at McGregor’s winnings could be an indicator that he is happy with the payout he has received.
And while McGregor showed his support for his rival by betting on him to come out on top, Nate Diaz recently came to the Irishman’s defense for his UFC 303 withdrawal!
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Diaz comes out to shield McGregor from UFC 303 criticism
One of the most anticipated comebacks in MMA history faced a setback when Conor McGregor announced that he was out of his UFC 303 clash against Michael Chandler due to suffering from a toe injury. This drew an outpouring of criticism for McGregor in the MMA sphere for dashing the fan’s hopes to see his return.
However, Nate Diaz has fired back at the detractors in a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson on the ‘MightyCast’. The Stockton native stated, “So now before you just jump to conclusions and start being like, ‘He’s hurt, f**king p*ssy,’ it’s like, ‘Bro, he lost his last fight because he went in there like a G and he was hurt and he f**ked himself up…”
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Diaz further explained that due to McGregor’s horrific leg injury at UFC 264 in 2021 which sidelined him for a prolonged period of time, it would make sense that the Irishman is apprehensive about taking on another fight with a compromised foot.
In conclusion, it appears that despite the rivalry inside the Octagon, Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor seem to have developed a healthy respect for each other. As both fighters navigate their careers, it remains to be seen if we’ll see the final fight of their trilogy anytime soon! Do you think Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz will settle their score inside the Octagon or it’ll be another boxing match like the fight against Jorge Masvidal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!