Nate Diaz will make a shock return to the octagon later this evening when he takes on fellow ex-UFC star Mike Perry.
The Stockton native parted ways with the UFC after submitting Tony Ferguson in a bid to pursue a career in the world of boxing. Diaz was beaten by Jake Paul on his professional debut back in 2023, before beating Jorge Masvidal a year later. The 41-year-old will now feature on Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions’ first foray into MMA.
As for Perry, the 34-year-old has enjoyed a rather successful time away from the MMA cage since leaving the UFC five years ago. ‘Platinum’ has established himself as a real star under the BKFC, having won, and defended, the organisation’s symbolic ‘King of Violence.’ title. Also on the card, the showcase will be headlined by a women’s featherweight showdown between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Francis Ngannou will also make his highly anticipated return to the octagon when he takes on Philipe Lins. And so, here is everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s fights…
Tonight’s action will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The preliminary card is due to get underway at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT). The main card is likely to start at 2am UK time Sunday morning (9pm ET / 6pm PT / 8pm CT). Nate Diaz’s clash with Mike Perry will likely start at 4am UK time Sunday morning (11pm ET / 9pm PT / 10pm CT).
In the main event, Carano will make the walk to the cage first at around 5am UK time Sunday morning (12am ET Sunday / 9pm PT / 11pm CT), with Rousey set to follow immediately after. The two stars will then touch gloves shortly after before the first bell sounds. The fight should not start later than this but could be brought forward if the undercard fights are completed earlier than expected.
Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry is being streamed live on Netflix to its 300million customers worldwide. There is no charge for existing subscribers. Memberships start at £5.99. As the fight is on Netflix, fans can watch on their TVs or through their mobile device using the app.
Main card
- Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano
- Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry
- Francis Ngannou vs Philipe Lins
- Salahdine Parnasse vs Kenneth Cross
- Junior Dos Santos vs Robelis Despaigne
Prelims
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- Namo Fazil vs Jake Babian
- Adriano Moraes vs Phumi Nkuta
- Jason Jackson vs Jeff Creighton
- David Mgoyan vs Albert Morales
- Aline Pereira vs Jade Masson-Wong
- Chris Avila vs Brandon Jenkins
Nate Diaz: “If there was three fights that I wanted right now, I’d be right back in there like bam, bam, bam,” he told Ariel Helwani. “But it was hard to jump back in because I tried hard for so many years to get out. I can’t just jump right back in. At least with Perry, I can get this done, so I’ve done everything on the outside before going back in.”
Mike Perry: “I’m not going to start slow,” he MMA Junkie. “I’m going to get in there and get it going, whether that means he’s hitting me and that gets me going or I’m landing that range because I’m fast as heck, and I’m in crazy shape. It don’t matter. I’m going to be catching him. My shots ain’t for anybody to withstand. I don’t care if you’ve got durability. I can hit hard enough so, you just got to know how to finish somebody, and I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m really good at it, I’m one of the best in the world.”