Jorge Masvidal Talks Nate Diaz Rumors, Says He's Ending Retirement 'Early This Year'

Popular fighter Jorge Masvidal has ended his retirement early, but he chose not to address the rumors that he will be facing Nate Diaz in his comeback fight.

"I can't deny or confirm any rumors right now, but someone is getting merked early, early, early this year. I can't say the date or nothing, but I've been busting my ass," Masvidal told TMZ.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that a boxing match between Masvidal and Diaz "is in fact in the works for later this year," though Diaz's representative didn't confirm the news.

"If it was in the streets, that dude [Nate Diaz] would say hell no. He knows what happens in the streets," Masvidal said. "In an MMA ring, he already knows what happens. Maybe he would say yes to boxing. I don't know, you gotta ask that dude."

The two of them met in Nov. 2019 in the inaugural UFC BMF championship fight with Masvidal coming away with a TKO victory due to a doctor stoppage after the third round.

Masvidal retired from the UFC in April 2023 after his loss to Gilbert Burns in his hometown of Miami. Diaz also parted ways with the UFC in 2022 after the completion of his contract.

Masvidal has since transitioned to a promoter under his Gamebred banner, but it sounds like he has the itch to lace up the gloves again. Diaz most recently fought Jake Paul in a boxing match in August and lost the fight by unanimous decision. Masvidal was confident he'd have the same success against Diaz if the two of them met for another fight.

"[Nate] already got his ass kicked in MMA. He don't want it there. He didn't want it there to whole time we were in the UFC. Maybe he will want it in boxing. You know he's been with top-notch boxers his whole life, training with them," Masvidal said. "But I got this big belief that you can live inside a garage but it don't make you a car. Know what I'm saying? I've trained with world-class boxers my whole life and that's my base. I trained with some of the best Cuban boxers growing up, to come out of Cuba since I was a child. I'd f--king whoop his ass!"