Diaz comes on late by his own admission, but his slow burn allows him to sneakily steal the steering wheel. And against a striker who slings jab-cross continuums like a coiled cobra, “Gamebred” could find himself amidst some serious opportunistic bedlam in this battle - particularly in the later rounds. However, despite traditionally doing his best work against southpaws standing (6-2 opposite UFC-level lefties), Masvidal is not beyond being stuck or stung by lengthier opposition. Masvidal has also gotten better at getting out of the gate early, which could prove problematic for Nate Diaz if his Cuban counterpart starts off with his patented body and leg assaults. Jorge Masvidal is the heavier hitter and more well-rounded product on paper, as I see his underrated submission-savvy and positional awareness enabling his wrestling game in this matchup. One thing is certain: Most of our prognosticators expect a close five-round bout.Ĭheck out all of the predictions, including the reasons behind each pick, below.ĭan Tom ( analyst for MMAjunkie and host of “ Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast” In the end, a slight majority is leaning toward the favorite Masvidal, though Diaz is getting plenty of support. We called upon a dozen MMA analysts, commentators, journalists and gamblers to give us their Masvidal vs. We wanted some rock-solid predictions, so we naturally went to the experts. After being tapped the ‘dog against Donald Cerrone, Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Darren Till and Ben Askren, Masvidal is now the favorite. It’s the first time he’s entered a fight as the favorite in three years and six appearances. At that line, Masvidal has an implied winning percentage of 61.5 percent. At the time of this writing, the sportsbooks have installed Masvidal a -160 favorite over +135 underdog Diaz.

Nate diaz vs jorge masvidal 2