MMA analyst John McCarthy has given his thoughts on the possibility of Nate Diaz squaring off with Max Holloway for the BMF title.
As we know, Nate Diaz is one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts history. Heâs always been a bit of an enigma, but it was his two-fight series against Conor McGregor that really helped take him to the next level. He was able to prove to the masses that he belongs on the big stage and while his UFC run was inconsistent from that point on, he still managed to pick up a few nice wins here and there.
Recently, thereâs been a lot of talk about what Diaz is going to do next. Some feel as if heâs going to keep making money outside of the UFC, whereas the man himself has hinted at the idea of heading back â where he could face the likes of Conor McGregor again or, perhaps, Max Holloway for the BMF title.
In the eyes of former referee and current analyst John McCarthy, though, that isnât a particularly great idea for Diaz.
McCarthyâs view on Diaz vs Holloway
âIâm being honest. I donât think itâs a great fight,â McCarthy said on the Weighing In Podcast.
âItâs not a great fight. It would be a one-sided fight,â McCarthy continued.
âMax is way faster than Nate. He moves a lot. Nate doesnât do well with people that move well.
âEven [Josh Thomson], you have movement that caused him problems throughout the fight and thatâs when he was young, and he wasnât slowerâŚ
âIâm being honest. I look at that and itâs a matter of Nate Diazâhow long can he last without Max just cutting him up like heâs got a razor in his hand and it being stopped on cuts?â
Is this going to be a meth on a pole match?
Nate is stopped by cuts or by KO. It would be fun while it lasted though.
Nate Diaz has been campaigning for a UFC comeback to close out his âunderratedâ legacy.
The 40 year-old welterweight has not competed since his submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 roughly three years back, but managed to secure boxing fights against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal. Unfortunately, his performances outside of UFC may have done more harm than good ahead of his most recent callouts.
Thatâs according to longtime rival Josh Thomson, who stopped Diaz at UFC on FOX 7.
âHe is 40 or almost 40, so, I mean buddy, youâre stuck fighting old people like me,â Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast. âI donât have anything against Nate. I like him a lot, man. I think heâs great for the sport. I think heâs great for this industry, period. The MMA industry, the boxing industry, all of that, I think heâs great. He wants to try to get back in the UFC. So when he left and fought Jake Paul, he kind of shot himself in the foot, you know, not being able to get that win. Had he got that win, there might have been a different possibility. And then getting the Masvidal win didnât really do much for him either.â
Diaz (29-13) lost to Paul in Aug. 2023 and narrowly edged Masvidal last summer.
âSo Masvidal is in the good graces of the UFC, still has fights under his belt,â Thomson continued. âHe could possibly still come back and fight for them. Nate is not in the good graces right now with them. So I donât know, maybe theyâll get something settled up. Maybe he will come back, he will not come back at 155. So the Max [Holloway] situation at 155 is not gonna happen. I donât think he beats anyone. Thereâs some fights that I wouldnât mind seeing. Are they at the 155 fights? Are they the 170s? Because youâre thinking heâs gonna have to make 170. You can have him fight Leon [Edwards] again, you know; I mean, like somewhere in that mix there.â
Thatâs assuming Diaz is no longer âhard to deal with.â
âNow Iâve got to meet a specialist but things are not looking up for me fighting one more time this year,â a disappointed Holloway continued. âWhatâs next, I couldnât tell you. This stupid injury has pushed things back.â
With Holloway out of the title picture for the foreseeable future, matchmakers will have to decide whether to honor the current lightweight rankings and book Arman Tsarukyan, or chase the more marketable fight featuring the âsuper goodâ Paddy Pimblett.
Max beats the fuck out of him bet the house
Terrible idea
Bad match for Nate dog. Nate is proud and tough. Max will try and beat his Katar punch record and Nate will not go down or quit. He will get permanent brain damage.
Nate could win if he got a takedown and sub, but I donât think this is good for his health.
I am all for it though, it is Nateâs life, not mine
Horrible matchmaking if this happens. Nate gets destroyed and this is a waste of everyoneâs time. Not a single MMA fan with a brain thinks Nate has a chance, especially at his age and after a long layoff. I think Nate vs Chandler would be good.
Yes he will. He almost quit against Tony from leg kicks. Max would have him outta there before they hit the 4th round.
Donât wanna see