Diaz vs. Masvidal start time, full fight card details | Last Man Standing

There is no Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event this weekend, so to curb your combat appetite, former UFC stars Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will go toe-to-toe in a boxing match later TONIGHT (Sat., July 6, 2024) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. “Last Man Standing” event will be airing live on Fanmio PPV, which also streams LIVE on both DAZN and UFC Fight Pass.

What’s Hot:

I don’t think there were too many people pining for a rematch between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal — much less in a boxing ring — five years after “Gamebred” defeated the Stockton slugger via third-round technical knockout at UFC 244 to win the inaugural “BMF” title, but here we are. Since then, Masvidal has lost four straight fights inside the Octagon and ultimately retired after getting schooled by Gilbert Burns, ending his UFC career with a 12-10 mark. As for Diaz, he has only competed twice in MMA since losing to “Gamebred,” losing to Leon Edwards via unanimous decision at UFC 263 before bouncing back with a win against an over-the-hill Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 two years ago (highlights). By the way, Ferguson was coming into that fight on a four-fight losing streak, and has lost two more after coming up short against Diaz to up his losing streak to seven with his last win coming in 2019.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

My point is, Diaz and Masvidal are not at the peak of their careers in MMA, and in boxing, well, it’s not like they’ve carved out a space in that arena. Diaz did box Jake Paul in Aug. 2023 in his“sweet science” debut, and that dreadful performance was hard to watch, even against “The Problem Child.” Most expected Diaz to come out on top because of his pitter-patter style that made him somewhat of a fan favorite in MMA, but that style doesn’t translate into boxing, you need power, which Diaz has none of. As for Masvidal, sure he was a backyard brawler, but he’s never taken part in a pro boxing match and he was never exactly known for his knockout power in MMA, either.

The world of boxing has been a weird space over the last few years due to Jake Paul’s arrival, influencers thinking they can throw hands and old-timers wanting to come back to take part in the circus that sees company throw money at them for what are nothing more than exhibition bouts. Diaz and Masvidal are banking on their “star power” to be enough to sell PPV’s, but they will be in for a rude awakening. Even planting annoying social media influencers like “Neon” to stir the pot and taking part in team brawls — which is the norm for Diaz and Co. — isn’t going to be enough to convince hordes of people to shell out $49.99 — down from the original price of $79.99. If you do tune in, don’t expect to see world-class striking. On the contrary, I expect to see two fighters past their prime trying to hang on to relevancy in order to cash some checks. Good for them, not so much for fight fans.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

The event was originally set to take place on June 1, 2024, but the promoters — as well as Diaz and Masvidal — were smart enough to reschedule due to the fact that UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” went down the same night. Going head-to-head with a major UFC PPV event is a lose-lose for most companies, so good on them for making the switch.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Photo by Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In an eight-round welterweight match, Alan Sanchez will face off against the beloved local fighter, Louie Lopez. Lopez, hailing from Orange County, CA, boasts an impressive record of 15 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, and is known for his aggressive fighting style that garners immense support from the crowd. On the other hand, Sanchez, with a record of 23 wins and 5 losses, has honed his skills under the guidance of esteemed trainers, Nick and Nate Diaz. This Mexican-born fighter enters the ring with a commendable three-fight winning streak.

Kenny Lopez, with a flawless record of 9-0, is set to go up against Andres Martinez in a six-round battle at the weight class of 168 pounds. Martinez, who has a boxing career of 4-1, entered the professional boxing scene only a year ago.

In another welterweight matchup, former MMA fighters-turned boxers, Jose Aguayo and Bryce Logan, will collide in a four-round fight. Aguayo has a boxing record of 1-1, and holds an MMA record of 5-4. competing for Combat and on the PFL Challenger Series. As for the more well-known, Bryce Logan, he will be making his boxing debut after a 10-year career in MMA. Logan has competed for Victory FC, RFA, LFA and Belaltor MMA, and will now try to see what he can do with his boxing career.

Steven Dunn will face Gabriel Aguilar Costa in a heavyweight match that is expected to end before the final round. Dunn has a perfect record of four wins, all by knockout or technical knockout, and none of his fights have lasted longer than three rounds. On the other hand, Costa has a disappointing record of 3 wins and 7 losses. It’s clear that Dunn, who is the local favorite, is being given an easy opponent in the hopes of thrilling the hometown crowd with another knockout victory, which is highly probable.

Turning our attention to the upcoming match, Luciano Ramos will step into the ring against Dan Hernandez with a dismal track record of losing four consecutive fights and nine out of his last twelve, resulting in a woeful record of 8-12. Conversely, Hernandez, who made his professional debut two years ago, currently stands at 3-3. Being from America, Hernandez is the obvious favorite in this bout against his Argentine opponent, “El Aguila.”

Interest Level: 5.5/10

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In the co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, will take on Diaz crew member, Chris Avila. Pettis — who is still an active MMA fighter with PFL and Bellator — made his “pro boxing” debut by defeating Roy Jones Jr. in April 2023. But let’s not get it twisted, it was a 54 year-old Roy Jones Jr., not the one fight fans pined to see in the the late 90’s early 2000’s, and faced the likes of John Ruiz, Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins. I hate to discredit Pettis for that win, but this is why I hate seeing old-timers coming back to box way past their prime…it never turns out well. Nevertheless, Pettis vs. Avila is more of an even matchup. Pettis had long been known as one of the best and more creative strikers in all of MMA, while Avila — though he’s never done much in MMA with an 8-9 record — does have several boxing bouts under his belt. He has a record of 5-1, which includes wins over Anthony Taylor and former UFC star, Jeremy Stephens.

Ryan Garcia’s younger brother, Sean Garcia, will do battle with Amado Vargas, son of former world boxing champion, Fernando Vargas Jr. This fight is probably the one that will show two actual pro boxers showing their stuff. Sean (23) is 7-0-1, though he has yet to collect a knockout in his young boxing career. As for Vargas, he is undefeated at 10-0 and has four knockouts to his name. He has the boxing pedigree, having learned from his father and brothers since he was a child, so fighting is in his blood. The two men have built up a great rivalry, with Garcia vowing to end the Vargas dynasty, which didn’t sit too well with Amado during a recent press conference. This should be a great fight.

In an anticipated match-up between two rising contenders, Devin Cushing and Manny Correa will engage in an intense eight-round battle that promises excitement. Cushing, boasting a record of 6-0-1, was on the verge of joining the Olympic boxing team in 2016 but unfortunately, an injury shattered his aspirations. Under the guidance of renowned trainer Roy Jones Sr., Cushing has honed his skills. On the other hand, Correa, a skilled striker hailing from Cuba, boasts an impressive record of 13-1 with six wins by knockout.

Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Never did I think I would see someone like Daniel Jacobs fighting fourth on a boxing main card of an event headlined by Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, but, again, here we are. Jacobs is the former WBA and IBF middleweight champion of the world, and has defeated the likes of Sergio Mora, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (when he was good), and came up short against living legends Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. So, yes, it’s weird to see Jacobs fighting here because he is still a legit threat to win a title. He will be taking on Shane Mosley Jr., son of former world champion, “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Mosley possess a record of 21-4 with 12 knockouts on his resume. He is currently on a four-fight win streak and is eyeing a move up the pecking order with an impressive victory over Jacobs.

Kicking off the main card, we have a 135-pound clash between Curmel Moton and Nikolai Buzolin. Despite being only 18 years old, Moton is already generating considerable buzz as a potential superstar. With a flawless record of 3 wins and 0 losses, including two knockouts, he has made an impressive start in his budding combat career. On the other hand, Buzolin, who stands at twice Moton’s age of 36, holds a rather underwhelming record of 9 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw. However, it is worth noting that Buzolin has earned five knockouts throughout his journey.

Enjoy the fights!

Full ‘Diaz vs. Masvidal’ Fight Card:

Fanmio/DAZN/UFC Fight Pass PPV Main Event:

The fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will be a 10-round bout, with both fighters weighing in at 175 pounds.

Fanmio/DAZN/UFC Fight Pass PPV Main Card (9 p.m. ET):

175 lbs.: Anthony Pettis vs. Chris Avila (6×3)
135 lbs.: Sean Garcia vs. Amado Vargas (8×3)
135 lbs.: Devin Cushing vs. Manny Correa (8×3)
168 lbs.: Daniel Jacobs vs. Shane Mosley Jr. (10×3)
135 lbs.: Curmel Moton vs. Nikolai Buzolin (8×3)

Fanmio/DAZN YouTube Prelims Card (7:30 p.m. ET):

147 lbs.: Alan Sanchez vs. Louie Lopez (8×3)
168 lbs.: Kenny Lopez Jr. vs. Andres Martinez (6×3)
147 lbs.: Jose Aguayo vs. Bryce Logan (4×3)
Heavyweight: Steven Dunn vs. Gabriel Aguilar Costa
140 lbs.: Luciano Ramos vs. Dan Hernandez (4×3)

The cost of the PPV stream is $49.99 (down considerably from its original price of $79.99).

---

For more boxing news and notes click here.