Nate Diaz Loses to Mike Perry in Bloody Brawl

Nate Diaz lost to Mike Perry in a two-round welterweight fight on Saturday night, with Perry earning his first victory in mixed martial arts since June 2020.

What happened?

Perry was quicker and more active than Diaz, whose face and chest were covered in blood during the second round. Perry threw a flying knee that sent Diaz sprawling at the second-round bell. Referee Mike Beltran waved off the fight moments later in agreement with Diaz's corner.

Why it matters for Nate Diaz

Diaz had been away from the MMA cage for nearly four years and was the vocal crowd favorite in his native California. Perry had too much power and precision for Diaz, who made his reputation in his two famous brawls with Conor McGregor a decade ago.

What comes next?

Diaz said of the stoppage, "Yeah, I had blood in my eye and I couldn’t see, so it was all good." Perry's victory marked a successful return to MMA after a five-year absence. The event also featured a first-round win for Francis Ngannou over Philipe Lins. Ngannou then engaged in promotional banter with Jake Paul, who has made a boxing career out of beating martial artists. Jon Jones watched the proceedings from Netflix's commentary stage and expressed interest in fighting Ngannou. The 42-year-old Junior Dos Santos suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Robelis Despaigne in the first round. French lightweight Salahdine Parnasse made an impressive U.S. debut with a first-round stoppage of Kenneth Cross. Parnasse expertly battered Cross with dozens of standup strikes and controlled him on the ground. Perry's record now stands at 15-8, while Diaz falls to 21-14. The fight was part of the undercard for Ronda Rousey's 17-second win over Gina Carano.