Tensions Rise in Stockton as we get closer to Diaz/Masvidal Rematch

About 2 months ago, in late February, Jorge Masvidal supposedly came through the 209 looking for Nate Diaz- the pride of Stockton- on a mission to secure a rematch fight. According to Masvidal, he even visited Diaz’s gym only to find closed doors and no one there. Taking a shot in the dark, he made one last effort to secure a fight by asking a local butcher, who knows Nate, to give him Jorge’s number. 

A couple weeks later, we got an official announcement for a rematch fight between the two. Masvidal and Diaz had first fought each other in UFC 244 in 2019. Masvidal had won by a third round injury stoppage (technical knockout) due to a severe cut on Nate’s face. Diaz/Masvidal 2 will take place on June 1, 2024 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The twist is that this will not be an MMA fight this time around, but instead a 10 round boxing match. The promotional tour for this fight finished up on April 19 in Los Angeles, where Diaz stormed out of the press conference telling Masvidal to “square up with himself.” 

I’m hoping that this fight gets the viewership that it deserves, as the two fighters didn’t slack in their efforts to sell while on their promotional tour. I think it will be an interesting fight given their ages (Nate being 39 and Jorge being 38) and given their most recent fighting records. Diaz fought Jake Paul back in August 2023 and lost due to unanimous decision. On the other hand, Masvidal hasn’t fought since UFC 287 (last April), where he lost to Gilbert Burns, rounding off a 4 loss streak. There will also be another Stockton Native, Chris Avila- one of Nate’s proteges, fighting on the undercard on June 1st. 

We will see what goes down. All I can say is that the people of Stockton are getting hype. The locals have been looking forward to this since the announcement in early March and they want to see their guy bounce back from the Jake Paul fight. Kickback season is also upon us, especially since the weather is now permitting. The garages are gonna be wide open, the TV’s rolled out, cervezas on deck- it will be front yard madness. June 1st will be the day to be in Stockton, especially if Diaz secures a victory. If I’m not at my local Buffalo Wild Wings and watching via pay-per-view, I’ll probably be at a kickback with my boys enjoying this fight.

God Bless Stockton,

Producer Reese