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Controversy reigns supreme in New York, as Jorge Masvidal wins the BMF Belt at UFC 244

When you have an event in New York City, you have to go all out. UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden had everything you could ask for and more: The Rock, President Donald Trump, insane knockouts and a controversial finish to end the night. In the end, Jorge Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz to become the BMF Champion.

It may not have ended the way Masvidal, Diaz, the fans or the UFC wanted, however.

Before the fourth round began, a physician from the New York State Athletic Commission waved the fight off due to a deep cut above Diaz’s eye. Gained in the first and worsened in the second, Nate looked like he was still able to go, but the athletic commission, which has been known to make questionable calls in the past, would not budge with their decision.

“I told Nate right now, ‘Let’s run it right back,’” Masvidal stated after the fight. “We’re going to run it back, New York. So don’t worry about it. It’s going to happen again.”

Prior to the finish, the fight started as wild as you expected. Masvidal (35-13) teased everyone with a flying knee, similar to what he did against Ben Askren a few months back. From there, it was just a game of cat and mouse. Masvidal brutalized Nate (20-12) in the first, dropping him down hard and landed big shots on the floor. At one point, he turned his back on Nate so he could get up, smiling as he did so.

Masvidal playing with Nate’s legs while beating him up, smiling and oozing confidence are just a few things that made the BMF Title come to fruition. The fans, a piece of the reason for the creation of the belt, were surely enjoying themselves until the end.

Round two was more of the same, with Diaz somewhat fighting back. At this point, the huge cut appeared about Diaz’s eye, and it was not looking good. The man from Stockton, however, lived by his code of never giving up and continued on. In the third round, Nate fired back with some big shots that stunned Masvidal. It was the one time Nate felt alive, to the point that he could have made the fight somewhat interesting.

The NYSAC decided enough was enough, however. It did not help that Nate kept on wiping away blood near his eye with the deep cuts around it.

Masvidal was then crowned champion by The Rock, who announced not long ago he was attending the event. It was a surreal moment that mixed sports entertainment with MMA.

UFC President Dana White originally reacted like many fans who watched the fight, believing the finish should not have happened. He then stated he changed his mind after seeing Diaz. During the post-fight press conference, Dana had an interest in a rematch between the two, but not right away.

Masvidal called for the rematch, as did Nate, who finished his second fight in the UFC since returning to the promotion from a 2+ year absence.

Nate’s cuts looked almost similar to the ones Tyson Fury received at the hands of Otto Wallin just a few weeks ago. Fury continued to fight, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

Was the commission in the right to end the fight? Should Fury’s fight have been called off? More importantly, where and when will the rematch be?

Masvidal has now won three in a row, adding on to his impressive resume. Diaz is now 3-2 in his last five fights. Determined and pissed off, Diaz vowes there will be a next time.

“I’m coming back for you motherf*****,” Diaz stated.

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Baseball Editor, Misc. Sports Editor. Covers all things combat sports (MMA, Pro Wrestling and Boxing). When he's not writing, Daniel hosts a podcast, The Main Event.
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