Building Hype Not Necessary for Masvidal vs. Diaz

It's no secret that both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal would rather sit out media obligations for any fight they signed up for. The fact that these two are signed up to face one another is enough for any long-time fan of the sport to be excited that they're headlining UFC 244. Casual fans will appreciate the addition of the “BMF” title that's on the line that will be awarded to the winner on Nov. 2.

Rewind back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s last visit to Madison Square Garden. It seemed to take forever to hear about a main event for UFC 230, and when it happened, it didn't come with the fanfare, press conferences, or records from their prior visits to Madison Square Garden. This time things are different.

Both Diaz and Masvidal showed up for the press conference in New York City, and while it may have been a little forced, the crowd that showed up was a good example of what can be expected come November. While the press conference fielded questions about Diaz’s diet and other things irrelevant to what both men are focused on doing at UFC 244, it is part of the process to bring fans both hardcore and casual together that night.

An old quote from Diaz at UFC 196 could have answered a lot of questions that seemed redundant to Masvidal at that press conference. “Get in there, hit him with some good s---, don’t get hit and come home with a pocket full of cash.” That is likely what both he and Masvidal are looking to do and fight fans are there for it.

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since the first UFC. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.