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Unpredictably predictable Nate Diaz says BMF fight 'was over before it started,' says he'll walk away

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Nate Diaz of the United States fights against Jorge Masvidal (not pictured) of the United States in the Welterweight "BMF" championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Nate Diaz was stopped by cuts after three rounds in his BMF fight Saturday with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. He said on Instagram on Thursday he's walking away from MMA. (Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

The reason why Nate Diaz is so beloved by MMA fans is his unpredictability. You never know what he’s going to say or do, but you always know it’s going to be entertaining.

When it comes to winning and losing, though, he’s as predictable as it comes. It was entirely predictable before his fight with Jorge Masvidal on Saturday in the main event of UFC 244 for the so-called “Baddest Mother[expletive]” title that Diaz wouldn’t react well to a loss.

He could have been knocked cold with the first punch of the fight and would have had something to explain it away. As it was, Masvidal won each of the first three rounds and the fight was stopped before the fourth when the ringside doctor ruled Diaz could not continue.

Diaz, of course, erupted in anger and classless fans threatened the doctor.

On Thursday, Diaz posted on Instagram that he’s taking a break from the sport given the way the fight with Masvidal went. He had been demanding a rematch before the post. On Instagram, he said the outcome of the fight “was over before it started.”

Warning: The below post has NSFW language.

After the bout, Diaz complained at the post-fight news conference about being forced to come back too soon after his win over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 in August, though he didn’t mention that he wasn’t required to come back. He chose to because of the huge payday the fight with Masvidal represented.

“I knew they were going to throw me back in immediately, also. Like why couldn’t after the Pettis fight it be six months? They want me under the most [expletive] up circumstances. If I’m going in under the most [expletive] up circumstances, a little more time would have been nice.”

This, though, is Diaz being Diaz and him acting in ways that make him confounding, frustrating and so widely beloved.

Will he actually retire? Well, he’s taken three years off before, so it’s not like there’s not precedent for him to leave the game for a long time. He is going to need plastic surgery on his cuts, so that will keep him out.

But he’s at the height of his powers, one of the top stars in the game, and is commanding huge money. There are a slew of big fights for him, including rematches with Conor McGregor and Masvidal.

The smart money is heavily on him fighting again. When he’ll fight again, though, is another question entirely and it might be a while before that happens.

The sport will move on with or without him, but it’s a lot more entertaining and much more fascinating when he’s a part of it. Here’s hoping his break is a short one.

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