In a city that’s notable for some of the greatest and most notorious “gangsters” ever known, the UFC has put together a match-up of two of their very own. In a spectacle so grand that they have gone out of their way to create a title known as the “BMF (Bad Mother Fucker) TITLE”. With no shortage of lingo on their behalf and two of the sport’s biggest names, New York now has two names to add to their list of gangsters; Diaz and Masvidal.
A post shared by Nate Diaz (@natediaz209) on Sep 25, 2019 at 4:43pm PDT
No person checks off the boxes to headline an event like this more so than Nate Diaz. UFC 244 inside the Madison Square Garden is tailor made to fit someone of his stature and demeanor.
New York, to quote Alicia Keys, is a “concrete jungle where dreams are of made of, there’s nothing you can’t do now that you’re in New York..” New York is basically a land of opportunity but it goes without saying that it’s not as easy as one would think.
Diaz schooling didn’t surpass high school but he was definitely a graduate from the school of hard-knocks. In an article with Brett Okamato of ESPN back in 2016, Diaz let it be known that he was a bit anti-social and it lead to him “selling marijuana all while his social circle had been basically reduced to his smoking buddies”.
A post shared by Nate Diaz (@natediaz209) on Aug 29, 2019 at 9:48am PDT
So it’s fitting that life was never fair or easy for Nate growing up in Stockton, California. It’s a city that’s considered one of the most dangerous to live in with a high-crime rate but regardless of Diaz’ success (especially after his two fights with Mcgregor) he’s stayed loyal to his city or as he likes to refer to it, the “209”. His loyalty and realness has many in those neighborhoods viewing him as a folk-hero and icon.
His body of work going into this weekend’s much anticipated bout is much larger than the 15 minutes of fame, he has or could potentially endure following this weekend’s fight. It’s opportunity meeting years and years of preparation.
To quote Clavo from the movie Blood In and Blood Out: “You bluff in this game, gabacho, and you better be holding five aces.” Well this past week, when the main event of UFC 244 was in jeopardy due to a “finding” in Diaz system of a banned substance, he didn’t let it slide – instead put the organization and USADA on blast all while claiming to not show up to fight if they didn’t clear his name. Diaz’ name was soon cleared two days after those claims. Diaz may or may not have been bluffing but in doing-so showed he was holding five aces.
A post shared by Nate Diaz (@natediaz209) on Oct 25, 2019 at 4:12pm PDT
Regardless of what happens at UFC 244, Nate Diaz has made it! Once a troubled kid who grew up in a tough city to now a star that is headlining a card in New York City. Diaz did it his way and more importantly didn’t let any measure of success change him from being Stockton’s own west-coast gangster! ■
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