Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal to meet in boxing match June 1

Former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will square off in a boxing match on June 1 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, it was announced Wednesday.

Diaz-Masvidal will be a 10-round bout and take place at light heavyweight (175 pounds). It'll be a rematch of a high-profile UFC fight - which Masvidal won - at Madison Square Garden in 2019.

The pay-per-view event will be distributed by Fanmio in association with Diaz's Real Fight Inc. and Masvidal's Gamebred Boxing Promotions. It'll cost $49.99 USD until April 12 and then $79.99 USD. A multi-city promotional tour is being planned ahead of the fight.

Masvidal defeated Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019 in New York to capture the inaugural BMF title. The fight ended in a doctor's stoppage after Diaz suffered a cut.

"Nate's a dead man walking," Masvidal said in a statement. "I can't wait to prove that last time was no fluke. He got saved by the referee. Now we are boxing, which he says is his forte, but he's got no shot at beating me. I'm not going to give him an inch in that ring to even breathe.

"If he thought our MMA match was bad, this is going to be much worse. I’m going to drown him."

Diaz left the UFC as a free agent in 2022 and made his boxing debut last August, losing a unanimous decision to YouTube star turned prizefighter Jake Paul. Diaz, 38, is one of the biggest stars in MMA history, thanks to a pair of fights with Conor McGregor in 2016.

Masvidal retired from MMA last April following a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns, his fourth straight, at UFC 287. The 39-year-old announced last October that he planned to return for a boxing match in 2024. The UFC had to approve Masvidal taking the Diaz fight, as Masvidal is still under contract with the promotion.