The boxing match between the former MMA stars has been moved from June 1 to July 6 to avoid coinciding with one of the UFC’s most anticipated events of the year.
Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, the last former UFC fighters to transition to boxing, were scheduled to face each other on June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
However, they have decided to change the date since it coincides with UFC 302, which features the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier as the main event. To avoid clashes and audience losses, the fight has been postponed to July 6 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
“There are several reasons for the move. A significant one? To avoid conflict with UFC 302, which is also scheduled for June 1,” journalist Ariel Helwani revealed on social media, along with the change of venue and date.
It will be the second time Masvidal and Diaz step into the cage together. The first was in November 2019, when both were still in the major MMA company. Masvidal won by TKO in the third round and claimed the BMF (Baddest Mother Fucker) belt. The referee did not allow the American to come out for the fourth round due to a cut that nearly knocked him out on two occasions.
Since then, a rematch has been on the table, and both fighters were in agreement to have it. It will not be in mixed martial arts but in boxing. Diaz already made his debut in August in a match against YouTuber Jake Paul, who won by unanimous decision.
It will be Masvidal’s first time in the ring, who had previously flirted several times with the idea of switching to this sport before retiring. Diaz and Masvidal were two controversial stars of the UFC, so coinciding with a company event would harm both ticket sales and the attention the evening itself would receive.
Their competition was going to be UFC 302, headlined by Islam Makhachev’s defense of the lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier, two of the big names. Additionally, the event features former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa as co-main events.
