VIDEO: Could Nate Diaz Have Finished Leon Edwards in the Fifth Round?

UFC legend Nate Diaz gave the fans another fight for the ages as he fought Leon Edwards in a five-round affair. It was the first time that a non-main event or a non-title fight was scheduled for five rounds, and both the fighters didn’t disappoint.

Leon dominated Diaz for the first three rounds, but the latter came alive in the championship rounds like he always does. Incredibly, there was a stunning moment in the fifth round as time was running down. Diaz, who needed a finish in the fight, hit Edwards with a Stockton Slap.

However, that was just a setup for a left cross, and Diaz put all of his power behind it. Edwards got hit badly and was wobbled. However, Diaz didn’t step in and opted to mock ‘Rocky’. That decision was under a lot of scrutiny as there was an option for Diaz to go in for the kill. His flurry was one of the highlights of the fight, and the entire crowd got behind him.

Edwards couldn’t find his feet, and Diaz finally latched onto him. However, the British fighter immediately went to the ground and tried to clinch, thus denying Diaz room to swing.

In the end, he couldn’t find the finish and had to be content with just winning the round. Fighters like Daniel Cormier talked about it on their Twitter. ‘DC’ tweeted, “And once again Nate Diaz shows up and even after losing a fight his stock rises. That flurry is all that’ll be talked about! It’s about memories /land Diaz leaves people with memories.”

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Leon Edwards beats Nate Diaz after dominating him

Fans had to agree with that sentiment as a win was there for the taking. Nate Diaz would’ve brought the roof down with a win.

Diaz was losing the fight convincingly as he lost the first four rounds. Edwards consistently landed his shots and took Diaz down with ease. He also landed some elbows, which opened up massive cuts on Nate Diaz’s face. Diaz had three massive cuts, one on his forehead, one above his left eye, and one on the side of his head.

Diaz might rue the missed chance to finish the fight as the judges awarded Edwards a unanimous decision victory. However, he still had a fantastic showing, and even if he might not get the welterweight title shot, a fight against Jorge Masvidal looks really attractive.

Do you think Nate Diaz will fight Masvidal in a rematch for the BMF belt?

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