Mark you calendars now, and reserve the evening of November 2 for the baddest fight night of 2019, as UFC 244 goes live from Madison Square Garden. It’s the UFC’s 500th event, and it simply can not be missed.
A stacked fight card from top to bottom, UFC 244 is expected to break records, mostly on account of the main event, which features veteran sluggers Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal going at it for a different type of championship.
Unlike traditional titles, Diaz and Masvidal are fighting for the one and only BMF belt. And in case you’re unfamiliar with the BMF acronym, well, it stands for “Baddest MFer.”All the action goes down live on the UFC 244 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. PST / 10 p.m. EST).
In advance of this most excellent of excellent PPV cards, it’s time to look at the major UFC 244 storylines and get you prepped for this cracker of an event.
Who’s the BMFer of them all?
Recently returning from a three year hiatus at UFC 241, Nate Diaz has already proven that he remains one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts.
A cult hero for oh so many reasons: his trademark Stockton slap, his counterculture leanings, and his 2016 submission of Conor McGregor; Diaz is getting right back in action for the UFC 244 main event after setting up this fight against Jorge Masvidal immediately following his UFC 241 win over Anthony Pettis (seriously, Diaz called Masvidal out when he was still inside the Octagon talking to Joe Rogan). It’s a fight that basically came out of nowhere to become one of the most anticipated and hyped up fights in UFC history, in large part due to the BMF moniker.
Diaz has already proven himself a BMFer. The winner of the most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history and the winner of season five of The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz has amassed a 15-9 record inside the Octagon. Sure, he’s lost quite a few fights, but Diaz always comes forward, using his length and range to box his way into the clinch. And that’s where his jiu jitsu takes over.
As for Masvidal, well, he used to scrap in the streets of Miami as part of Kimbo Slice’s backyard brawler crew. It’s tough to imagine what’s more BMF than that, really, but the fastest knockout in UFC history might qualify. Masvidal achieved that earlier this year, when he went straight at Ben Askren with a flying knee at UFC 239. It was a BMFing finish worthy only of the baddest of the BMFers.
Masvidal’s arguably having the best year of his entire career, recording two brutal KOs in 2019. His stock is hotter than ever and this is easily the biggest fight of his life.
Tune in to see who goes home with the custom, one-of-a-kind UFC BMF belt.
Darren Till’s Middleweight Debut
Seriously, after the Diaz vs. Masvidal BMF fight, it’s tough to even consider other storylines and fights. And while the UFC 244 main event is easily worth the price of a Pay Per View on ESPN+, the rest of the fight card is absolutely stacked, beginning with the penultimate bout, the co-main event between Kelvin Gastelum and middleweight debutante Darren Till.
With Gastelum competing at 185 pounds for the last three years, most of the focus will be on Till, who is finally moving up to middleweight after struggling to consistently make the welterweight limit. This fight is bound to be a barnburner, with Gastelum constantly pressuring forward with his boxing and wrestling, while Till uses his Muay Thai skills to fight off of his back foot and snipe for the knockout shot.
While much of this fight centers on Till’s move up in weight, along with his recovery after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Masvidal earlier this year, there’s also a lesser known storyline involving Gastelum, who will finally have a chance to fight at Madison Square Garden after missing weight so badly in 2016 that he did not even bother weighing in for a scrapped bout against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 205.
Hopefully there will be no problems at the weigh ins because this fight has slobberknocker written all over it.
Johnny Walker: Everyone’s New Favorite Fighter
Depending on how intimately familiar you are with MMA and the fight game, you may not have even heard of Johnny Walker, yet. However, for those of us who’ve been paying attention, Walker has exploded onto the scene like the new sensation he is, going a perfect 4-0 inside the UFC’s Octagon.
Tall and rangy, Walker is exceptionally athletic, and boy does he put on a show.
From his vicious elbow techniques and spinning kicks, to backfists and flying knees, Walker has quite the arsenal. He’s also known to partake in the occasional dangerous victory celebration. Clearly, the party never stops for Johnny Walker.
There’s actually a lot riding on this UFC 244 fight for Walker, who takes on perennial top-10 light heavyweight Corey Anderson. Walker may very well earn a title shot against 205 pound king Jon Jones, should he earn the win in spectacular fashion. And a Jones vs. Walker title fight may be the move appealing option at light heavyweight these days.
It’s a big spot for Walker. Can he come through? And can he continue his dazzling displays of destruction?
Guess you’ll have to just watch the UFC 244 Pay Per View main card on ESPN+ to find out.
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UFC 244 Pay Per View Main Card on ESPN+ (10 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. PST)
Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz – For the UFC BMF title
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
Stephen Thompson vs. Vicente Luque
Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov
UFC 244 Prelims on ESPN 2 (8 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
Shane Burgos vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Brad Tavares vs. Edmen Shabazyan
UFC 244 Early Prelims on UFC Fight Pass (6:30 p.m. EST / 3:30 p.m. PST)
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu
*Bout order subject to change
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