Madison Square Garden may well be one of the most famous venues in world sports. The Red Sox have Fenway, and Barcelona FC has Camp Nou, but in combat sports, Madison Square Garden is hallowed ground.
Nate Diaz wants a piece of it. As he said on Instagram: “Headlining the garden like it ain’t no thang. I might have to do that again soon”
Nate Diaz wants to fight again… at Madison Square Garden
Way back in 2019, Diaz fought Jorge Masvidal for the controversial “BMF” belt at the Garden, eventually losing the fight via doctor stoppage. The fight, between two of the UFC’s biggest personalities, was a huge draw, with a disappointing outcome for Diaz.
Nate Diaz’s interest in fighting has been scarce since then, with his most recent bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 263 similarly ending in defeat. He is still one of MMA’s most beloved personalities, and following the Edwards loss Diaz discussed returning within the year.
“I want to fight in three or four months. I’m ready to hop back in there. If I was unscathed I would be back in there next week.
I don’t have nobody in mind. I’m going to go back home and look at what’s poppin with what and who’s doing what. Whoever wants to fight, let it be known. And if it makes sense for both parties, let’s dance.”
The UFC may well want to return to New York, and Madison Square Garden. It’s more likely that they would schedule a title fight for such a prestigious venue, but with Nate Diaz’s pulling power it’s not impossible for him to appear on the evening.
As for who’s next, it’s difficult to predict. Perhaps a grudge match against Masvidal, to decide which of the two men truly deserves to be labelled the UFC’s one true BMF.
A gatekeeping fight against someone ranked just outside the top ten is also plausible, with contenders such as Belal Muhammad or Santiago Ponzinibbio. Nate Diaz might even get a top-ranked opponent just because of his pay-per-view drawing power. Stephen Thompson, freshly demolished by Gilbert Burns, may make the cut.
What do you see happening next for Nate Diaz? Will he fight again, and if so is Madison Square Garden the place for him to do it? Can Diaz, going through the latter years of his storied career, grind out another win? If he faces Masvidal, who do you see winning? Let us know in the comments.
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