Former UFC stars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will have to wait a little longer before they throw down inside the ring this summer.
Masvidal and Diaz previously collided in combat sports back in 2019 when they headlined UFC 244 in competition for the newly created, symbolic BMF title at Madison Square Garden.
"Gamebred" came out on top, concluding his memorable year with a beatdown of Diaz en route to a TKO by way of a doctor stoppage after three rounds of action.
Almost five years on, the pair are set to run it back in a different environment. Earlier this year, it was announced that the rematch would go down in boxing at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on June 1 .
Following a pair of recent press conferences to promote the bout, a major change has been made. Masvidal and Diaz will have an extra month to prepare thanks to the date being pushed back to July 6. A new venue was also confirmed, with the Honda Center in Anaheim now set to host the match.
The news was first reported by BoxingScene's Lance Pugmire and later confirmed by renowned combat sports personality Ariel Helwani, who also noted a conflict with UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier on June 1 as among the reasons for the postponement.
For Masvidal, the July 6 contest will mark his taste of action since announcing his MMA retirement last April. At the Miami-held UFC 287 event, the local favorite was outpointed by Gilbert Burns, extending his losing skid to four since the win over Diaz.
But it didn't take long for "Gamebred" to walk back talk of a permanent retirement , first teasing an Octagon return at UFC 300 before landing on a boxing venture.
His professional debut in the sport will come in Diaz's second time in the ring since his UFC departure. After fighting out his deal with a victory over Tony Ferguson in 2022, the Stockton native shared the squared circle with Jake Paul, falling on the wrong side of the scorecards last August.
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