"Hasn't been world-class for years" - Social media sides with Kamaru Usman over Nate Diaz's present-day status as MMA fighter

Fans seemed to agree with Kamaru Usman's assessment of Nate Diaz in the current MMA scenario. One of the most durable and unique-styled fighters from the 2010s, Nate Diaz left the UFC in 2022 and has become an active competitor in the boxing circuit.

In his most recent outing, Diaz defeated fellow UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal by majority decision in a ten-round boxing match. It was a rematch of their UFC 244 showdown that Masvidal won by third-round TKO due to a doctor's stoppage.

Both men were praised for fighting with dogged determination in the rematch despite being well past their physical prime. While the performance seems to have convinced Usman's co-host on the Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and Henry podcast, Henry Cejudo, that Diaz is still a world-class fighter, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' strongly disagrees with the assessment:

"He was [a world-class fighter in the past]. And don't get me wrong, shout-out to Nate Diaz. Nate Diaz can still fight. But he's not a world-class fighter. Are you crazy? Throw Nate Diaz with Shavkat Rakhmonov, throw Nate Diaz with myself, throw Nate Diaz in there with [Jack Della Maddalena], throw Nate Diaz in with Justin Gaethje... Come on!"

The video of Usman's statement was posted by @ChampRDs on X.

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below:

Fans took to the comments section of the post and shared their thoughts on the former UFC welterweight champion's assessment.

"Nate diaz hasn't been world-class for years," @RealKrissy275 commented.

"He’s honestly spitting facts here if we’re being real. All of those guys would beat him," @CharlieQuinnMMA commented.

"He said fact things bro HE WAS but now ? Not top 7 I think," @223Capi_ commented.

"It's like saying Belal is a dull, boring fighter. c'mon bro, we know this already," @strongXtyle commented.

Meanwhile, some fans seemed to disagree with Usman and presented counter-arguments to his statement.

"Watch Nate actually snowball Justin into a finish if they fought," @AintFredoYou commented.

"Nate almost beat the guy [Leon Edwards] that knocked him [Kamaru Usman] out?" @web3compadre commented.

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Kamaru Usman thinks Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal was a world-class fight for reasons other than competitive relevance

While Kamaru Usman does not agree with Nate Diaz's status as a top-tier athlete anymore, he believes that the Diaz vs. Masvidal fight was a "world-class" affair, simply because of the entertainment value. Speaking about the topic in the aforementioned episode of the Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and Henry podcast, he said:

"It was world-class entertainment of guys with some stature. That's what this was. This seems to be the trend now. We see a lot of guys doing this. This is what Jake Paul does. These are the events that he wants to put on. Yes, they're not necessarily world-class boxing events. But this is entertainment right here. I think what Masvidal and Nate Diaz went out there to do - They went out there to put on a masterclass on how to put on a world-class entertainment event."

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below (2:32):