UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More
Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz have established themselves among the most real fighters in the game. On Saturday, they will square off in the main event of UFC 244 for the BMF title.
The matchup is the rare occasion when a UFC pay-per-view isn't headlined by an actual title fight. Thus, the UFC's creation of a special belt for the fight isn't all that surprising and fans shouldn't mind. This one promises to bring the fireworks.
Gamebred is coming off a UFC-record five-second knockout of Ben Askren that has launched him into stardom. Diaz, who has been relatively inactive since a pair of high-profile fights against Conor McGregor, has just one fight—a unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis—to his name in the last three years.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Anytime a Diaz brother fights it's a highly anticipated event, and Masvidal is just the right opponent to guarantee this one will be worth the price of admission.
Here's a look at the rest of the card and predictions for the biggest bouts of the night.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
- 170 lbs.: Jorge Masvidal (-175; bet $175 to win $100) vs. Nate Diaz (+145; bet $100 to win $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.
Masvidal Wins BMF Title in Thriller
Picking this as the Fight of the Night is a no-brainer. The rest of the card is going to have to bring it if they even want a chance at competing for the title.
There are a lot of similarities between Diaz and Masvidal. Outside of their street fighting personas, they are both brawlers who are oftentimes more technical than they are given credit for.
Both have sound striking games in which the jab is the foundation. They both have oft-underrated ground games, but one would think we won't see that. Instead, we'll likely see a fast-paced boxing matchup with some kicks thrown in for good measure.
The difference between the two might be the power of Masvidal.
The 34-year-old's last four wins have all come by way of TKO. While he ended Askren with a flying knee from the outset, most have been done in by his powerful boxing.
Diaz is more of a volume-puncher than knockout artist. He'll keep throwing punches in bunches until the man in front of him is broken. He outlasted McGregor when he famously submitted him and is renowned for his cardio.
The fact this is a five-round affair benefits Diaz. His best hope is to survive the early storm from Masvidal and turn the tide of the fight by the third round, taking the championship rounds en route to another decision win.
But surviving that storm will be difficult. Masvidal has been on a roll in finding the right strike to put his opponent down and will certainly be looking for that knockout shot Saturday night.
Prediction: Masvidal via third-round TKO.
Kelvin Gastelum Gets Back in Title Picture with Win Over Darren Till
Kelvin Gastelum's loss to Israel Adesanya has aged well. Just six months before The Last Stylebender convincingly knocked out Robert Whittaker for the title, the Californian tested the new champion in a decision loss that was awarded Fight of the Night.
With Adesanya establishing himself as the premier fighter in the division, Gastelum is looking to establish himself as a worthy opponent for a rematch.
Darren Till—once a promising prospect in the welterweight division—is looking to forge a new reputation in the middleweight division. After losing a title fight to Tyron Woodley and subsequently getting knocked out by Masvidal, he is looking to move up in weight.
It's once again another matchup where Gastelum will have to overcome a massive height differential. At 5'9" with a 71" reach, he'll be giving up three inches in both height and reach to Till, who was a massive welterweight.
That's not a new obstacle for the 28-year-old, though. He's been the shorter fighter in just about every fight, yet he still finds ways to disrupt his opponent's rhythm and can negate the reach disadvantage.
Till showed the ability to get tagged in his bout against Masvidal, and Gastelum is a strong enough striker to find those weaknesses.
Prediction: Gastelum via decision.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
