I Have No Idea What The Hell is Going on

The UFC 244 Main Event is up in the air, and some other thoughts.

Alright, unless you live under a rock you probably know by now that Nate Diaz has allegedly pulled out of next weekends UFC 244 main event. Apparently, Diaz tested positive for something called SARMS and has not been notified by USADA that he has provisionally suspended for the match-up against Jorge Masvidal next Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Essentially, Diaz has decided to pull himself out of the night in the name of good sportsmanship because of his ‘‘elevated levels’’

Kudos to Diaz I guess? I mean it’s refreshing that Diaz would get notified of his elevated levels, kick back, light up a blunt(or whatever you kids call it) and say fuck it, my integrity is too important, I’m pulling the plug. Diaz essentially was told his levels were elevated but the fight is not cancelled and he decided I am not going to fight knowing I may have some unfair advantage. Wow. 99.9 percent of fighters would have banked that information, said thank you and gathered their teams to prepare to head to New York City for a week of festivities and a huge payday.

Nathan Diaz does not roll like that. I mean, have you ever gotten the impression that Diaz loves fighting? He went away for 3 prime years after his Two McGregor fights when his star was burning brighter than ever. Clearly, money does not motivate Diaz. Fame does not motivate Diaz. What the hell motivates Nate Diaz? No clue. All I know is we have an odd, unprecedented situation playing out right now, and the UFC is in danger of losing the main event on their Madison Square Garden card for the second straight year. To be clear and I want to say this again, from everything I have heard according to the UFC and USADA, Diaz is not suspended and the fight is on. Diaz is the one saying I am not doing this. Okay, enough redundancy.

So lets say Diaz doesn’t show, how the hell does the UFC save this card? Would Masvidal be open to Leon Edwards stepping in? I can tell you that Edwards is not in camp, and has not been paid to be on standby , as I have seen reported. So, I have to assume Edwards is not ready to go on a weeks notice. He’s out. Could Ben Askren scrap his main event in Singapore tomorrow and face Masvidal on short notice? Listen, I am not sure that we learned in the last fight that Masvidal is better than Ben Askren. Just like I don’t believe we learned that Conor McGregor is better than Jose Aldo when he starched him in 13 seconds. These flash knockouts do not teach us a lot about who is the better man. Honestly, if Diaz is steadfast about sitting out, Ben Askren is the best pick. He is a trash talker and Masvidal and Askren have beef. Askren has been in camp, and I would bet he wants that Masvidal win back as badly as he has ever wanted anything.

If it’s not Askren or Diaz, the fight may just be scrapped altogether. Darren Till vs Kelvin Gastelum would be moved to the top billing. Great fight, but nothing moves the needle quite like Masvidal and Diaz. It would be a massive loss for the UFC if Diaz and Masvidal don’t make the walk. The only other name I could come up with would maybe be Vincente Luque. Luque is an incredibly interesting fighter who brawls his backside off. He just has no name value whatsoever. The UFC would probably puke in their soup thinking of a Luque- Masvidal MSG main event. If Diaz does not show, my best guess is the fight gets scrapped altogether. Keep your eyes peeled guys.

Alright kids, I have been working on something I call ‘‘The 50 at 500’’ I am going to count down the 50 best fighters in UFC history next week in the lead up to the MSG event which of course, is the 500th event in UFC history. It should be a fun discussion, I look forward. I have a long form interview with Art Davie, the creator of the UFC that also drops next week. It was a good time we talked everything from Royce Gracie, to his old roommate Donald Trump, and everything in between.

Alright Fooks, it also looks like UFC 245 is shaping up to be a helluva card. Lets close the year out right, I appreciate your support. More than you know.