🥊 Jorge Masvidal Robbed?

No, you didn’t miss anything… The UFC was OFF this past weekend but combat sports take no breaks as Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal squared off in a boxing match.

A rematch for the BMF title and some tasty UFC fights coming up in July? Without further ado… LET’S GO!

HENRY & KAMARU’S DIAZ/MASVIDAL RECAP

HEADLINES

🥊 Nate Diaz secured his revenge on Jorge Masvidal in what has become a somewhat controversial decision on DAZN. A co-promotion between Diaz’s “Real Fight Inc.” and Masvidal’s “Gamebred Boxing”, the two sold out the Honda Center in Anaheim which is no small feat.

🥊 Creating a murky title picture at 155lbs, Arman Tsarukyan was recently suspended by the NSAC for the altercation that happened on his octagon walk at UFC 300 where he threw a punch at a heckling spectator before his victory over Charles Oliveira. He’s been suspended 9-months but can get that knocked down if he collaborates for a PSA about anti-bullying in Nevada. (LOL)

🥊 MMA commentator and personality Ben “The Bane” Davis competed in Karate Combat during International Fight Week, picking up his first competitive win. Never one to shy away from internet controversy, “The Bane” certainly put his money where his mouth is by competing for all to see. Good on ya’ Ben!

🥊 In my own PSA to MMA Twitter, don’t fall for any MMA fighter’s crypto scams, as we saw another athlete fall victim to a rug pull to which he then had to address on socials.

BUT YOU CAME HERE FOR VIOLENCE, so here is Alex Pereira against Artem Vakhitov. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

DIAZ vs MASVIDAL RECAP

Nate Diaz def. Jorge Masvidal (via Unanimous Decision Victory)

Nate Diaz avenged his 2019 UFC defeat to Jorge Masvidal with a majority decision victory (95-95, 97-93, 98-92) after what some would call an entertaining 10 rounds of battle in Anaheim, CA.

This fight was certainly worth the price of admission for the 18k strong at the Honda Center, with Diaz and Masvidal selling the place out in a rare off-week for MMA as both the UFC and PFL were taking a break.

Not to be confused with high-level boxing, the fight certainly looked like two former MMA fighters in a boxing ring, however it was incredibly entertaining.

Has Nate Diaz really ever been in a boring fight? He may not win them all, but goddamn if every Diaz fight isn’t fun to watch. He brought his signature style to this fight, with him and Masvidal combining for something like over 1400 total strikes thrown.

Now I’m not the biggest boxing guy but, I did think Nate Diaz did enough to win, however Jorge Masvidal disagreed wholeheartedly about an 8 rounds to 2 scorecard submitted by the judges.

The Question is…What’s Next for Diaz & Masvidal?

Two former UFC Fighters with massive names, seemingly on the outside looking in of the largest combat sports promotion. Both men had interesting things to say in the post-fight press conference surrounding their future plans and a potential trilogy fight down the line.

Looking Ahead on the Combat Sports Calendar

As we take this mini-break to reset, we at Pound 4 Pound want to offer you a quick primer of what to look forward to as the UFC begins another blistering stretch to round out the rest of summer.

What fights are you most excited for below?

THIS WEEK:

• July 12th: 2024 PFL MENA: Lightweights & Welterweights _{(non-televised)}

• July 13th: UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez - Main-Card starts 7pm EST on ESPN

COMING UP

July 20th: UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Jandiroba

• Two striking dynamos clash at the UFC Apex with Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba lobbying for the next 115lbs title shot in the UFC.

  • This card features some sleepers with fan-favorite “Superboy” DooHo Choi fighting for the first time since February 2023. The UFC Hall-of-Famer takes on Bill Algeo.

  • Brad Tavares vs JunYong Park aka “The Iron Turtle” is guaranteed to be fireworks.

July 27th: UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2

• A rematch from their short-lived 2021 bout that ended in an illegal eye poke foul for Edwards. The much maligned Leon Edwards has had an up/down run at the top of the 170lbs division and hopes to cement his legacy with a Manchester matchup against the hottest contender in the division, Belal Muhammad. Perhaps one of the most slept on title fights of 2024, this one is going to crush a ton of MMA twitter users one way or the other.

  • The UFC does an incredible job at showcasing their British talent on cards like these. UFC 304 features studs like Paddy Pimblett, Muhammad Mokaev, Arnold Allen, Molly McCann and more… PLUS at the co-main of the marquee, Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes 2 for the Interim Heavyweight strap.

August 3rd: UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov

• The UFC returns to ABC in August as Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov take the stage in Saudi Arabia to vie for their spot in the 135lbs title picture.

• The odds for this one are pretty shocking with Cory Sandhagen sitting as a +210 underdog against the dominant Nurmagomedov with a -258 price. It’s too early to predict but, Sandhagen has only lost to foes that hold or have held titles in the UFC (except an LFA loss to Jamall Emmers in 2017), it’s hard to peg him as a +210 underdog against ANYONE, especially with such a stark striking advantage for “The Sandman”.

• This card is actually insane on paper. Just ponder this Main Card with me for a moment. 🧐🧐🧐 (Isn’t it beautiful? 😻)

POUND 4 POUND PODCAST

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo gave their thoughts on the Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal rematch that took place in a boxing ring this past weekend!

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A Little Scrap to start your week…