Jorge Masvidal Comes to Defense of UFC Rival Nate Diaz

Getty Former UFC fighter Nate Diaz.

Nate Diaz found some unlikely support from UFC rival Jorge Masivdal over his street fight in New Orleans.

Video emerged in late April of Diaz putting someone to sleep with a choke in the streets of New Orleans. He’s facing potential second-degree battery charges, per MMAFighting.com.

Diaz and Masvidal faced off at UFC 244 for the “BMF” belt. Masvidal knows a thing or two about getting into scraps outside of the octagon but believes Diaz did the right thing considering the situation.

“I haven’t seen like all the camera angles and this and that, but from what I know and from what I’ve seen, it looks like that dude attacked Nate, and Nate defended himself, and instead of punching him in the face and breaking his jaw, he was very cool about it and just like put him to sleep, like, ‘Yo, chill out, don’t get crazy,’” Masvidal told MMA Fighting. “I don’t know, I saw that he got hit with some charges and stuff. I think that’s bulls***.

Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield issued a statement on the situation, saying Diaz was acting in self-defense.

“Nate’s attorney looks forward to presenting all of the facts about this incident to the District Attorney which clearly demonstrate that a trained fighter named Rodney Petersen aggressively pursued Nate with the intention of engaging him and once doing so, Nate acted entirely in self-defense,” Rosenfield said in a statement, via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

Jorge Masvidal Leaves Door Open on UFC Comeback

Masvidal called it a career after falling to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 — his fourth consecutive loss. Gamebred admits he has lost a step but isn’t saying he’ll never fight again.

“I’ll never say like, ‘I’ll never come back’ because I love this sport so much,” Masvidal told ESPN. “I have so many great memories that just fill me and will stay with me forever about this sport. So, I’ll never say I can’t come back.”

There’s always a chance that Masvidal finds another outlet for his skill set and professional wrestling is something he could consider.

“If it’s AEW, if it’s WWE, if it’s at a parking lot, at KFC; as long as they pay me, we can play,” Masvidal ESPN in a recent interview. “I’ll go over there right now, right now, and domesticate the f**k outta these pro wrestlers. They need some discipline and direction over there. I’m the dude to do it to them.”

Jorge Masvidal Expects Good Fight Between Burns, Muhammad at UFC 288

Burns, Masvidal’s last opponent, is getting back in the octagon in a hurry, facing Belal Muhammad less than a month after taking care of Gamebred. Masvidal and Burns had a brief spat after their clash but he very much respects his ability.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight for [Burns] – tough,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie. “I think Belal has, in the cardio department, more advantages in the grappling, I think. Gilbert has different weapons with a little bit better power than Belal. So I think it’s going to be a very interesting, good fight.”

The odds go with what Masivdal is saying. Burns is the slight favorite at -125.