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Meanwhile, the massive Conor McGregor shadow is hanging over the bout, after Diaz’s long-time foe said he believes Diaz will beat Masvidal, potentially setting up another fight between the fighters.

But before Diaz can get to that fight, he’ll need to get through Masvidal. And the problem with that is Masvidal is currently the favorite, with no sign of Diaz reversing that in the interim.

Still, this UFC 244 fight isn’t an easy fight to predict. Both Masvidal and Diaz are veteran fighters with plenty of experience on the big stage. And although Masvidal has finished his last four fights by knockout, thanks in no small part to his outstanding striking ability, Diaz is no slouch in striking, either.

Indeed, the fight between Diaz and Masvidal might be a bloody slugfest. And although Masvidal has powerful striking ability, Diaz might be one of the toughest (and the most capable of taking damage) out of any of the fighters Masvidal has ever faced.

When it’s all said and done, however, it’s hard to bet against Masvidal. He’s been downright impressive in his most recent bouts, especially after he knocked out Ben Askren in record time at UFC 239. Darren Till, who will also be fighting on this card, learned quickly in March just how powerful Masvidal can be.

Now it’s Diaz’s turn. And we can’t forget that after his grueling 2016, when he fought McGregor twice in bloody bouts, he looked like he was done after he didn’t fight in 2017 and his fight with Poirier in 2018 was canceled. Diaz looked solid against Anthony Pettis in August at UFC 241, but his decision victory belied a much harder fight for him than some had anticipated.

One of the great things about UFC 244 is that anything can happen at any given time. And given how strong and tough Diaz can be, it’s possible he knocks out Masvidal in a stunner.

But given what we know about both fighters, expect this one to be a bloody battle that extends late into the fight until Masvidal becomes too much and takes the fight on a TKO.

UFC 244 kicks off from Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 2. The main card begins at 10 p.m., but the early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The $79.98 pay-per-view fight includes a one-year subscription to ESPN+.

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Caesars Casino Odds

Main Card

Main Event (Welterweight): Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz

Latest Odds: Masvidal (-160) | Diaz (+130)

Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till

Latest Odds: Gastelum (-200) | Till (+170)

Welterweight: Stephen Thompson vs. Vicente Luque

Latest Odds: Thompson (-130) | Luque (+100)

Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov

Latest Odds: Lewis (+100) | Ivanov (-125)

Lightweight: Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie

Latest Odds: Lee (+145) | Gillespie (-175)

Preliminary Card (ESPN2)

Light Heavyweight: Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker

Latest Odds: Anderson (+140) | Walker (-179)

Featherweight: Shane Burgos vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Latest Odds: Burgos (-250) | Amirkhani (+200)

Middleweight: Brad Tavares vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

Latest Odds: Tavares (+105) | Shahbazyan (-130)

Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Latest Odds: Arlovski (+115) | Rozenstuik (-145)

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

Women Catchweight: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia

Latest Odds: Chookagian (-160) | Maia (+130)

Welterweight: Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre

Latest Odds: Good (-130) | Rencountre (+100)

Featherweight: Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu

Latest Odds: Arce (+100) | Dawodu (-130)