UFC 244 Preview: BMF title on the line
The UFC 244 main card begins at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Masvidal vs. Diaz
Jorge Masvidal looks for his third straight win when he faces off against Nate Diaz for the inaugural "BMF (Baddest Mother F-----)" title in the main event of UFC 244.
Masvidal (34-13) broke the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history in July when he finished Ben Askren in five seconds at UFC 239. "Gamebred" heads into this matchup off back-to-back stoppage victories and has only gone the distance twice in his last six fights.
Diaz (20-11) returned after a three-year layoff in August and picked up a dominant decision over former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. The 34-year-old has won three of his last four fights, including a submission victory over former two-division champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196. The Stockton, California, native will seek his first back-to-back victories since March 2016.
Gastelum vs. Till
"The Ultimate Fighter" season 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum will try to avoid his first two-fight losing streak when he battles Darren Till in the evening's co-feature.
Gastelum (16-4) last competed in April at UFC 236 and lost a close decision to Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title. Prior to the setback, the Kings MMA product earned wins over former middleweight champion Michael Bisping and top contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. A victory could put the 28-year-old back in the mix for the middleweight title.
Till (17-2) moves up to the middleweight division for the first time since August 2014 in hopes of turning his career around. The 26-year-old was submitted by Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 last fall, then suffered his first knockout loss in March when Masvidal finished him in the second round at UFC London. Prior to those losses, "The Gorilla" went 5-0-1 in the Octagon, including victories over Donald Cerrone and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.
Thompson vs. Luque
Speaking of Thompson, the former welterweight title challenger will hope to bounce back against rising contender Vicente Luque this weekend.
Thompson (14-4-1) was knocked out for the first time in his MMA career in March after Anthony Pettis finished him in the third round at UFC Nashville. The 35-year-old is in dire need of a victory after losing three of his last four fights and hasn't finished an opponent since February 2016.
Luque (17-6-1) is nicknamed "The Silent Assassin," and that's also a good description of his current run in the UFC's welterweight division. The Hard Knocks 365 product has gone 10-2 in the Octagon and will face just his second top 10 opponent since joining the UFC in 2015. The 27-year-old defeated Mike Perry by split decision in his last fight at UFC Uruguay, which was only the second time he's gone the distance in his last seven bouts.
UFC 244 takes place Saturday, Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Here's an updated look at the card:
Main Card
- Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
- Stephen Thompson vs. Vicente Luque
- Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
- Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Prelims
- Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
- Shane Burgos vs. Makwan Amirkhani
- Brad Tavares vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
- Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
- Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu