Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley mentioned he pushed for a combat with Nate Diaz earlier than Diaz’s upcoming matchup with Mike Perry turned public, providing new particulars as consideration turns to one of the crucial talked about bouts of MVP’s first MMA occasion. Diaz is scheduled to face Perry in a five-round blended martial arts welterweight bout on Might 16 on the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, an occasion that might be streamed reside on Netflix and headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Tyron Woodley says he planted the seed for Nate Diaz’s blended martial arts profession
Woodley, a former UFC champion who has efficiently defended his title 4 occasions, mentioned in an interview with TalkSPORT BET that he has already reached out to officers inside the promotion concerning the thought of preventing Diaz in MMA.
His feedback are in keeping with previous public curiosity in going through Diaz’s brother, and he has talked concerning the subject in earlier media appearances, however this interview is the clearest addition to Woodley’s assertion thus far that Diaz has actively tried to place himself for Nate since rumors of a possible return to MMA started to unfold.
Diaz’s combat with Perry is likely one of the highlights of the cardboard, which MVP and Netflix are positioning as a serious occasion. Diaz, now 40, might be competing in blended martial arts for the primary time in almost 4 years when he faces Perry, which is listed on the Netflix occasion web page as a five-round combat at 170 kilos. Diaz’s final MMA combat was a submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022, leading to him changing into a free agent after the combat.
Tyron Woodley defined:
“You recognize what’s humorous? Earlier than they introduced the combat, earlier than they introduced the Gina Carano and Ronda match, I hit Jake and requested them about me preventing Nate in MMA, and I mentioned that earlier than they talked about Anderson, they supplied Nate a combat with Anderson. I mentioned, ‘Properly, I am going to combat Anderson, but when you are going to do the MMA factor, let me and Nate combat in MMA.’ I most likely received on their radar as a result of I had already planted that seed.
“I am not mad concerning the Mike Perry combat. I feel that is comprehensible. They’re brawlers. There’s not going to be a lot wrestling. However I do not know why it is a five-round combat, perhaps Nate simply wished it to be. However now there’s two five-round fights, and the ladies’s combat is a three-round combat, which was the unique principal combat of this card. So it is slightly complicated, I suppose.” What is the co-headliner doing? I do not know.
Perry enters the match from a special lane. Since leaving the UFC in 2021, he has made a reputation for himself in bare-knuckle boxing and is now returning to MMA, aiming for fights which are extra action-oriented than clashes of types. That is a part of the rationale Woodley mentioned the reserving made sense. Diaz and Perry are each recognized for his or her strain and exchanges greater than their wrestling-focused strategy.
Woodley additionally questioned the construction of the occasion, notably the choice to make Diaz vs. Perry a five-round combat. Netflix’s official itemizing confirms the format, however whereas the way in which the cardboard is offered has been mentioned by way of a number of headline-level fights, together with Rousey vs. Carano and Francis Ngannou vs. Phillip Lince, public studies have given little clarification as to why Diaz-Perri would get 5 rounds.
Woodley shouldn’t be connected to signing Diaz and Perry for now, however his interviews point out he desires to signal them early and believes he has already made his case. With Diaz returning, Perry returning to MMA, and MVP nonetheless shaping what its occasion mannequin will appear like on Netflix, Woodley’s feedback assist give an thought of simply what number of transferring elements there have been earlier than this matchup turned official.
