ANAHEIM, CA. – In a long-awaited battle between longtime rivals and fight sports activities superstars, Nate Diaz took residence a majority determination victory over Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal Saturday night time in a 10-round mild heavyweight showdown that headlined a Fanmio PPV from Honda Middle in Anaheim, California.
“Mission achieved,” mentioned Diaz (1-1). “I really feel the love right here in Cali each time. He confirmed up and got here to battle and so did I.”
“I believed I gained,” mentioned Masvidal (1-1). “I landed the tougher photographs. Win or lose, we’re gonna do it once more. We’re 1-1, so we’ll run it again.”
After combating for the inaugural UFC BMF title of their first conflict gained by Masvidal, the 2 MMA superstars reignited their rivalry with months of heated backwards and forwards trash speak main as much as Saturday night time’s occasion in entrance of a bought out crowd of 18,040.
The competition was a matchup of Diaz’s exercise and punch output in opposition to Masvidal’s accuracy and energy. Diaz landed 148 of 730 punches thrown, whereas Masvidal related on 176 photographs out of 637 thrown.
“I positively felt that I landed the extra significant photographs,” mentioned Masvidal. “When the judges see the movies, they’ll see they have been misguided.”
After the bell rang to start the tenth and ultimate spherical, each males engaged in a tense three minutes of toe-to-toe motion, with every fighter seeking to achieve an edge on the within. With the group on their ft, every fighter landed clear blows till the ultimate bell, with Diaz incomes the nod by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 95-95.
“We simply went in there to determine him out,” mentioned Diaz. “I’m all the way down to battle the very best rated boxer I can discover. My fundamental goal is to be the perfect fighter on the planet.”
Within the co-main occasion, Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 KOs) stamped his contender standing with a convincing unanimous determination victory over former two-time world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (37-5, 30 KOs) of their 10-round tremendous middleweight conflict.
“The plan was to select him aside as a result of we knew he’d get drained,” mentioned Mosley Jr. “I used to be making an attempt to press him within the center rounds, however he’s a veteran and he is aware of the best way to get via it.”
The son of Corridor of Famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Mosley Jr. scored the perfect win of his profession by out-landing Jacobs 108 to 83, incomes him his fifth-straight victory. Coming back from an prolonged layoff, Jacobs wasn’t capable of hold his charging opponent off of him with any sustained offense of his personal.
“I’m pleased with myself,” mentioned Mosley Jr. “Danny has bricks in his fingers, however I simply caught to the sport plan and obtained the job completed.”
“He was positively the busier fighter, however I may see that each time I hit him with a very good shot I did see that he was surprised,” mentioned Jacobs. “I simply didn’t do sufficient to get my hand raised ultimately.”
Jacobs put up a robust effort within the ultimate spherical, touchdown his finest blows of the battle, however was met repeatedly with return hearth from the decided Mosley. On the finish of the showdown, Mosley was victorious by scores of 100-90 and 99-92 twice.
“I felt like I had a very good mindset in there, I simply wasn’t 100% with on a regular basis out of the ring,” mentioned Jacobs. “The load was clearly a difficulty for me and I got here in a bit of drained and dehydrated. I may have gone in opposition to mild opposition, however I’m a canine and I needed to face a sure caliber of opponent.”
In his post-fight interview, Mosley supplied a direct problem to WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy Lara.
“I need Erislandy Lara,” mentioned Mosley Jr. “If you happen to’re listening, I need you. Let’s go child.”
The pay-per-view additionally noticed Nate Diaz-teammate Chris Avila (5-1) proceed his successful streak with a unanimous determination over MMA legend Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (1-1) of their mild heavyweight attraction.
“It felt nice, there was a number of vitality on the market within the area,” mentioned Avila. “This was an excellent opponent to get a win over. It feels actually good to get the win for my crew and everybody who’s supported me.”
The back-and-forth contest noticed each males have interaction in shut quarters all through many of the six rounds, with Pettis having some early success together with his lead left hook and motion. Because the battle moved on, Avila discovered his distance and was capable of persistently land on Pettis as he constructed his lead on the playing cards.
“I knew what I used to be presupposed to do,” mentioned Avila. “I used to be coming to out-box him. Us Stockton fighters know the best way to go in there and determine it out.”
Dealing with a former UFC world champion, Avila’s triumph marked his fifth-straight win within the squared circle for the Stockton, California-native. After six rounds, all three judges noticed the battle in Avila’s favor with scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56.
“I used to be making an attempt to outscore him and management the vary, however he did a very good job stepping in and combating contained in the clinch,” mentioned Pettis. “It wasn’t actually a boxing look. He doesn’t hit laborious, however he had a number of output. I simply misplaced my vitality and couldn’t hold my tempo. I used to be making an attempt to knock him out.”
Sensational teenage prospect Curmel Moton (4-0, 3 KOs) stored his unbeaten file intact with a dominating stoppage of Nikolai Buzolin (9-9-1, 5 KOs) as he dropped his opponent in spherical one earlier than stopping him within the second spherical of their tremendous light-weight matchup.
“It felt nice to be in there with an enormous crowd like this tonight,” mentioned Moton. “The environment actually pushed me to be my finest. I put in a number of work on the fitness center, and I knew it was gonna repay.”
The 18-year-old Moton struck early with a sequence of left hooks to the physique and head that pressured Buzolin into the nook and to ultimately take a knee. Moton obtained again to work in spherical two, stalking Buzolin and peppering him with extra energy photographs.
After a sequence of unanswered blows, referee Jack Reiss determined he had seen sufficient and waved-off the bout 1:39 into spherical two. For the Floyd Mayweather-promoted Moton it was his fourth victory since turning professional final 12 months because the protégé of the all-time nice appears to be like to proceed to impress in his younger profession.
“I do know there’s all eyes on me with Floyd behind my again,” mentioned Moton. “It places a goal on me. I’ve felt stress my complete life, so that is nothing for me. I’m used to it. I do know that I simply have to point out up and do what I do. I’m gonna get again within the fitness center and hold working laborious so I can placed on one other nice efficiency.”
In a battle of fighters representing preeminent boxing households, Amado “AFV” Vargas (11-0, 5 KOs), the son of legendary world champion Fernando Vargas, scored a sixth-round TKO over Sean Garcia (7-1-1, 1 KOs), the youthful brother of Ryan Garcia, of their tremendous light-weight duel.
“It’s been an extended camp and I used to be prepared for this second,” mentioned Vargas. “They’ll say I’m the little brother, however I simply stored working to allow them to know. We’re right here, the Vargas dynasty is right here to remain.”
Vargas broke via in a wild spherical 4, hurting Garcia with a left uppercut earlier than stalking his stumbling opponent and placing him down with a proper uppercut. Garcia rose to his ft, and landed some clear blows on Vargas to ignite the group on his approach to making it to the top of the body.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to get him out of there,” mentioned Garcia. “On the finish my sport plan principally went away, I used to be simply making an attempt to trigger harm.”
“That is what I do. I spar laborious fighters in Las Vegas in order that I’m prepared for this. I all the time get these guys within the later rounds due to my conditioning. That’s a credit score to my father and my complete coaching crew.”
Attacking the physique all through the bout, Vargas appeared to harm Garcia once more within the ultimate second of spherical 5 with a vicious left hook that left Garcia wincing on his approach again to the nook. With a fading opponent in entrance of him, Vargas stayed disciplined and picked his photographs successfully till referee Edward Collantes waved off the bout 46 seconds into spherical six.
“It was a very good battle like I anticipated,” mentioned Garcia. “I don’t assume that I gassed out, however he did break me down. It was my first time going previous 4 rounds and that’s why you want these experiences within the sport. He was the higher man tonight.”
“I’ve all the time been unorthodox, however once I crack folks, they really feel it,” mentioned Vargas. “I’m not inexperienced anymore, I’m a skillful fighter who is aware of the best way to assume within the ring. All of the sacrifice paid off within the ring tonight.”
Opening up the pay-per-view, light-weight contender Devin Cushing (14-0, 10 KOs) boxed his approach to a powerful unanimous determination victory and avenged an beginner defeat in opposition to Manuel Correa (13-2, 8 KOs) after 10 rounds of motion. The judges ultimate tallies have been 80-72, 78-74 and 77-75.
“I’m a grown man now and I’m extra disciplined mentally than after we fought within the amateurs,” mentioned Cushing. “He’s a troublesome competitor and he can take a shot. It wasn’t my finest efficiency, however we’ll get again to the drafting board and return to work.”
The southpaw Cushing confirmed his boxing capability from the outset, utilizing his jab and motion to open up Correa’s protection, together with swelling in Correa’s left eye that started in spherical three. Correa had his moments with counter proper fingers throughout exchanges, however was too usually beat to the punch by Cushing.
“I anticipated a troublesome battle like that from Manuel Correa,” mentioned Cushing. “He’s obtained his file for a motive. I knew it was going to be a troublesome, rugged battle. I simply needed to keep targeted and dig deep.”
Correa appeared pissed off with Cushing’s motion in spherical 5, imploring his opponent to satisfy him in the midst of the ring. Cushing appeared to oblige the request throughout a close-quarters spherical six that two judges gave to Correa. Correa completed the battle sturdy, successful two of three and all three of the ultimate frames respectively in response to two judges, however was too far behind to catch up.
“I felt good. It wasn’t my finest efficiency, however we’ll get again to the fitness center,” mentioned Cushing. “I’d like to remain busier. This has been an extended camp and I simply need to keep lively the remainder of this 12 months.”
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Govt Author, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a ardour for Fight Sports activities and likewise a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s additionally a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
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