Photo by Dan Shapiro
Presented in partnership with UFC 244 on ESPN+
In the UFC, it’s the headliners who call the shots, apparently. That’s one thing Nate Diaz has positively proven.
Exonerated of all wrongdoing just one day after he pledged to withdraw from the UFC 244 main event, Diaz flexed his starpower and social media muscle, forcing the UFC to put the wheels of its anti-doping wing into motion. The expedited results cleared Diaz of a minimum threshold of something called LGD-4033 in his system. It was a tainted vegan supplement, apparently.
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The UFC has just issued a lengthy statement about the Nate Diaz situation. In short, they have cleared him of any wrongdoing and he is good to compete next weekend. pic.twitter.com/cphdvKrRLC
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 26, 2019
Diaz is not the only UFC fighter to be flagged for a decision concentration level, but he sure is the most famous. And when you’re a needle mover like Diaz, a BMFer so to speak, the promotion fast tracks your results. So, we will see Diaz fight Jorge Masvidal for the freshly created BMF title on November 2 after all.
Officially, the UFC 244 Pay Per View main event on ESPN+ “will proceed as scheduled … Mr. Diaz has not committed an anti-doping violation.”
The show will go on, and now the anticipation can begin…
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The fight is ON!!! I 100% knew Nate wasn't taking anything to cheat. #UFC244 November 2, MSG. #BMF pic.twitter.com/U9VEOPT0Ul
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 26, 2019
It’s kind of tough to hold back the excitement and anticipation that coincides with every Nate Diaz fight. He’s a true original, a one-of-a-kind mixed martial artist and personality, and the only fighter who could ever conjure up something as ludicrous and amazing as the UFC BMF title, which will be awarded on November 2, probably the only fighter who could have leaned on the UFC the way he did this week.
Diaz has been a true, stick it to the man, counterculture figurehead in the most counterculture of athletic pursuits for quite some time. Whenever he fights, it’s truly essential viewing for all fans of MMA, but after this most recent saga, he’s propelled himself into another stratosphere. And whether he wins or loses, Diaz will undoubtedly deliver a scintillating performance inside the Octagon, and serve up a handful crafty and clever one liners during fight week.
It’s just what he does, and why he’s the UFC’s self-proclaimed BMF.
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Anyone who has been following Diaz’ career remembers him as the funny, foul mouthed winner of The Ultimate Fighter who would go on to flip off the camera with double middle fingers as he please, pushing the limits of the FCC and network censors for his post fight tirades. He’s also the guy who essentially trash talked the entire UFC roster for their lack of boxing ability and Stockton slapped Dana White in the dome. All of that without even mentioning how he shocked the world by choking out Conor McGregor.
His entire career basically reads like some fantastic anti-hero tale, which is why the BMF title is so fitting … because it’s something Nate conjured up during his post-fight press conference after his UFC 241 win over Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. He said it, albeit profanely, and now the UFC is creating it. The fans, well, the fans will come in droves, like they do for every Nate Diaz fight. It’s assuredly going to be the talk of the town. It already is, really.
See, Nate Diaz has never taken any prisoners. He’s always done things his way, which hasn’t always jived with Dana White and the UFC. It’s essentially why we’ve seen so little of him during the last five years. He was only interested in the big fights, but he was also willing to walk away from a massive headlining spot at Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in sports.
Now, with all the attention this recent controversy has attracted, the UFC 244 Pay Per View main event on ESPN+ between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal has just gotten that much bigger.
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One half of two of the three biggest fights in UFC history (his 2016 series versus McGregor), Diaz has, even without having ever won a title, become one of the biggest draws in mixed martial arts. He has not only found a loyal, diehard audience within the MMA community, but he has also managed to become one of those fighters who transcends sports, crossing over into mainstream pop culture.
Very few fighters have ever accomplished such a feat, and yet it’s still a bit difficult to completely express how monumental this whole BMF title at UFC 244 on ESPN+ really is. First of all, it’s monumental that Diaz is fighting at all. And, topping all of that, his sheer talent, popularity, and wit essentially forced the UFC into creating a title, and a $50,000 championship belt, just because he spoke up and talked hella smack after his last fight about how he’s the baddest MFer in the game and how he’s been fathering fighters for years.
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No one can make this stuff up, except Nate Diaz of course. The entire BMF rhetoric, which will go on media overdrive leading up to the fight all comes from the imagination of Stockton, California’s favorite son. Then again, it’s no longer imaginary.
And much like he predicted that he’d win The Ultimate Fighter, and much like he foresaw a lucrative rivalry with Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz has always found a way to get what he wants while giving the fans what they want. He’s managed to maintain his integrity while delivering some of the most memorable and maniacal moments in UFC history. He’s certainly not surprised, and neither should you be.
Tune in to the UFC 244 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+ to find out if Nate Diaz hoists the UFC BMF title when he takes on Jorge Masvidal at Madison Square Garden on November 2.
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UFC 244 Pay Per View Main Card on ESPN+ (10 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. PST)
Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz – For the UFC BMF title
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
Stephen Thompson vs. Vicente Luque
Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov
UFC 244 Prelims on ESPN 2 (8 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
Shane Burgos vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Brad Tavares vs. Edmen Shabazyan
UFC 244 Early Prelims on UFC Fight Pass (6:30 p.m. EST / 3:30 p.m. PST)
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu
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