UFC 244: Leon Edwards in for Nate Diaz against Jorge Masvidal? Sorry guys, but that’s no ‘BMF’ fight

The MMA gods, they giveth and they taketh.

It’s been a while since we lost a big UFC bout, be it down to weight cut issues or injury or a failed drugs test. It’s the last of those three that you would have expected to scupper next weekend’s monumental Madison Square Garden main event.

But that’s where we’re at. Nate Diaz tweeted an angry statement on Thursday night that Usada informed he that he tested for “elevated levels”, indicating a tainted supplement.

It looks like we won’t get to find out whether Diaz or Jorge Masvidal is the true “BMF” after all.

According to MMA journalist Chisanga Malata, Leon Edwards is in the frame to replace Diaz, though it’s not clear whether the US$50,000 “BMF” gimmick belt will still be on the line.

The fight makes sense – it plays into the backstage confrontation between “Rocky” and “Gamebred” after Masvidal’s win against Darren Till in March at UFC Fight Night 147.

Masvidal blasts Usada and says he’ll see Diaz at UFC 244

Edwards began talking trash from the sidelines while Masvidal was being interviewed. Masvidal walked straight up to Edwards and hit him with “the three piece and the soda”.

There’s a marketable storyline there with a nice bit of bad blood, and it makes sense rankings-wise – after beating Rafael dos Anjos in July, Edwards moved up to No 4 at welterweight behind Masvidal.

But this match-up can’t possibly make up for the loss of Diaz-Masvidal.

The 20,000-plus fans at Madison Square Garden will still be treated to a great card, with Till making his middleweight debut against contender Kelvin Gastelum, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson fighting Vicente Luque, Derrick Lewis facing Blagoy Ivanov and Kevin Lee up against Gregor Gillespie.

You’ve also got Corey Anderson and Johnny Walker going toe to toe, in a bout that could help determine light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ next challenger (although Dominick Reyes will have a lot to say about that).

Still, the pay-per-view buys and tickets were sold on the promise of seeing this unique fight between Diaz and Masvidal that “took on a life of its own”, as UFC president Dana White put it.

It’s rare that a five-round, non-title fight headlines a UFC pay-per-view. It usually has to be a special bout – think Diaz versus Conor McGregor II in August 2016.

The fighting world was eagerly anticipating this one – even WWE legend and Hollywood royalty Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was going to present the belt to the winner.

You’d have to think McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys from last October would have been under threat of being surpassed.

Now White and the UFC could be left watching the dollars disappear in front of their eyes, all thanks to a tainted supplement. It’s to Diaz’s credit that he refused to keep it quiet, which he alleged a Usada representative suggested he do.

Jon Jones tweeted his support for Diaz, claiming “I know you’re feeling someone is setting you up”. But unlike Jones, Diaz is fronting up.

“Until UFC, Usada or whoever is f****** with me fixes it, I won’t be competing,” Diaz wrote. “I’m not gonna play their game and try and hide it or keep quiet, as they suggested.

“I’m not gonna have my name tainted as a cheater like these other [expletive] who keep quiet until after the fight just so that they can get paid. F****** cheaters.”

“I don’t give a s*** about some money over my dignity and my legacy. I’m not playing along with this b******,” he added. “Sincerely, the realest baddest mother [expletive] in the game.”

Strangely, Diaz might become the first fighter to actually enhance his reputation after pulling out of a fight because of a positive test.