UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Fight Hype

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UFC 244 comes to Madison Square Garden with a main event that gets to the heart of prizefighting in Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz. 

There are no real title implications. Unless, of course, you consider the promotional "BMF" title that has been created specifically for the bout. There's no pretense of a bitter rivalry. Just two of the sport's most notorious gladiators looking to put on an entertaining fight for bragging rights and ostensibly a big payday. 

Masvidal enters the bout off his most notable victory to date. He vaporized Ben Askren in just five seconds to set a new UFC record for the fastest knockout in July. 

Diaz has been a needle-mover for years, albeit a relatively inactive one. The longtime UFC and Strikeforce vet has just one fight since a pair of clashes with Conor McGregor. A unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis in August gives him some momentum heading into the bout. 

It's a fight that the organization is going to draw good pay-per-view numbers from as both have recently been in the public eye. Given their exciting styles, it's unlikely to disappoint. 

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2

Start Time: 10 p.m. ET

TV Info: ESPN 2/ESPN+ Pay-Per-View

Tickets: StubHub

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

• 170 lbs.: Jorge Masvidal (-175; Bet $175 to win $100) vs. Nate Diaz (+145)
• 185 lbs.: Kelvin Gastelum (-200) vs. Darren Till (+170)
• 170 lbs.: Vicente Luque (-105) vs. Stephen Thompson (-125)
• 265 lbs.: Blagoy Ivanov (-125) vs. Derrick Lewis (-105)
• 155 lbs.: Kevin Lee (+130) vs. Gregor Gillespie (-160)

UFC 244 ESPN 2 Prelims (8 p.m. ET)

• 205 lbs.: Corey Anderson (+130) vs. Johnny Walker (-160)
• 145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani (+200) vs. Shane Burgos (-250)
• 185 lbs.: Edmen Shahbazyan (-130) vs. Brad Tavares (+100)
• 265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski (+120) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-150)

UFC 244 ESPN+ Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET)

• 135 lbs.: Katlyn Chookagian (-160) vs. Jennifer Maia (+130)
• 170 lbs.: Lyman Good (-130) vs. Chance Rencountre (+100)
• 145 lbs.: Julio Arce (+110) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (-140)

Odds via Caesars.

Diaz and Masvidal Ready to Rumble...With All Due Respect

Diaz and Masvidal are both well-known for their trash talk. Neither guy is afraid to say what's on his mind. 

This time, though, neither has anything bad to say about their opponent. Real recognize real. 

That's because both buy into the same ethos. Fighting is about laying it all on the line for the fans, not finding the safest method for racking up points en route to a decision. 

"I think it just comes down to we both fight and we're dogs in that cage, but at the same time, we see the bulls--t and we don't want to play in the bulls--t," Masvidal said of his UFC 244 opponent, per E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com. "On the same token, he's the same dude from his side of the country—doing his thing his own way. We both see it and we can salute each other."

The two men have had similar career arcs. Both have been around the game and taken some losses over the years before blossoming into all-out stars later on. The two have 20 combined losses among them, but their willingness to fight aggressively has made them fan favorites. 

When the two meet in the cage it's sure to be a spectacle. Not only are both action fighters, but they both also have well-rounded and surprisingly technical games. Masvidal began his career as a literal street fighter, but he has also proved to be a capable opponent in the grappling department, even having moments against Demian Maia. 

The difference between the two right now appears to be power. Masvidal has been a killer of late, finding ways to land high-impact strikes that can end a fight. 

Diaz is a fighter who relies on attrition as his cardio tends to wear opponents down. Most can't keep up with the pace he sets, and if he does get the finish, it's from exhaustion. 

Masvidal may not make it to that point. He won't back down from the pressure and has a great opportunity to keep the momentum going. 

Prediction: Masvidal via third-round TKO

Kelvin Gastelum Looking to Give Darren Till a Rude Welcome to Middleweight

At one point, Darren Till looked like the next big thing in the welterweight division. Then the rise of our headliner happened as Masvidal laid out the Briton with one massive left hand in March.

Now Till is looking to pick up the pieces by moving up in weight to 185 pounds. It's a move that makes sense given the back-to-back losses and the two times he was unable to make the 170-pound limit in the UFC, but he isn't being given the easiest of debuts in his new division. 

Standing across from him in the co-main event will be Kelvin Gastelum, a former welterweight himself who has become an unlikely successful middleweight. The 5'9" Californian was last seen challenging Israel Adesanya for the interim championship in April. 

The persistent Gastelum put forth a competitive effort against the now-UFC middleweight champion. He dropped the decision but the bout was given Fight of the Night honors and wasn't a blowout by any stretch. 

Now he's hoping a one-sided win over Till could get him back in the cage with the titleholder sooner rather than later. 

"If I go out there and make a statement and I put a stamp on Darren Till, the rest of the world will take notice," he said, per Tom Taylor of Bleacher Report. "I'm ready for what's to come, and I'm ready to jump in line for that title shot."

Till is a highly skilled striker and will have the reach and height advantage over the stocky Gastelum. But that hasn't stopped the American before. He has a way of disrupting taller and more technically skilled striker's rhythms and getting a surprising result. 

Gastelum may have to make it ugly, but expect him to do what he needs to do get back in the win column. 

Prediction: Gastelum via decision