UFC 241: Nate Diaz beats Anthony Pettis – then calls out ‘gangster’ Jorge Masvidal
- Diaz gets unanimous decision win against ‘Showtime’ in Anaheim, California
- ‘It’s good to be back,’ Diaz says after ending a three-year lay-off
Nate Diaz had a three year lay-off from the Octagon but there were no hints of ring rust as he returned at UFC 241 to beat Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision in Anaheim California.
“Showtime” Pettis (22-9), who has a highlight reel of knockout finishes, was playing the pantomime villain against the anti-hero Diaz (20-11). And it was the crowd favourite who came out on top at the Honda Centre in a fast-paced war. Two judges scored it 30-27 with the other scoring it 29-28 in Diaz’s favour.
“It’s the Nate Diaz army, m************,” he said in his post-fight interview inside the Octagon with Joe Rogan. “It’s good to be back. The reason I was off was because everybody sucked, there were no good fights.
“Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight, all respect to the man, there ain’t no gangsters in this game but me and him. I know my man’s a gangster but he ain’t no West Coast gangster, you know what I’m saying?”
The welterweight bout, which was the co-main event, was southpaw against southpaw. Pettis was looking for the right high kick off the bat, and tagged Diaz early on with a few shots.