Jorge Masvidal has received a default judgment of over $5 million (£3.7 million) from his boxing fight with Nate Diaz.
Masvidal, a former UFC welterweight title challenger, met Diaz in the squared circle last July for a rematch of their 2019 encounter, which the former won via third-round stoppage.
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Masvidal went toe-to-toe with Diaz over 10 rounds, with judges scoring the contest 98-92, 97-93, and 95-95 in the latter’s favourCredit: Getty
Diaz, however, got his revenge on Masvidal in their second meeting, claiming a majority decision win after 10 rounds at the 18,000-seater, sold-out Honda Center in Anaheim.
Masvidal had declared his frustrations about working with a ‘diva’ Diaz in the build-up to the fight, and although he lost on the night, the 40-year-old would’ve left California knowing a huge pay slip was on its way.
But that wasn’t to be, and both MMA veterans were eventually left feeling defeated, as reports suggested that neither man had received their agreed-upon purses for the bout.
The streaming company that promoted the event, Fanmio, allegedly failed to pay Masvidal the $6 million guaranteed sum included in his purse, while Diaz also was believed to have been owed a whopping $9 million in non-payments.
Throwback to Jorge Masvidal running up and confronting Jake PaulWhy was Jorge Masvidal awarded over $5m for Nate Diaz fight?
According to MMA Junkie, Masvidal was paid $1 million and $150,000 in two advances ahead of his clash with Diaz, with the rest of the cash to be sent no later than three business days after.
But six days after the fight, Masvidal, who holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history, claimed he hadn’t received the remaining sum and therefore contacted Fanmio CEO Solomon Engel in an attempt to resolve the issue.
Six months later, Masvidal brought his issue before an arbitrator, and Fanmio did not dispute non-payment.
On Tuesday, Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for Miami-Dade County granted Masvidal a final judgment and arbitrator award of $5,315,268.64, MMA Fighting reports.
This includes damages of $4,850,000, lawyer fees and costs of $62,787.97, and pre-judgment interest of the original non-payment of $402,480.67.
The default judgment means that Fanmio did not respond to legal action; therefore, the court granted the judgment in Masvidal’s favour by default
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Masvidal has fought in the UFC for 13 years, contesting two title welterweight bouts against Kamaru Usman in 2020 and 2021Credit: Getty
Masvidal hasn’t fought in the UFC since losing to Gilbert Burns in 2023, but has teased his return to Dana White’s promotion several times.
Diaz also pursuing Fanmio lawsuit
Diaz, 40, who has wins over the likes of Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson in his UFC career, is also suing the company and Engel for non-payment.
In his lawsuit, detailed in full by Boxing Talk, Diaz alleges that Engel and Fanmio ‘repeatedly promised and contractually agreed in writing’ they would pay him $10 million in total for his Masvidal fight, but he only received $1 million before the meeting.
The Stockton native noted that he and his team were originally sceptical that the company had the financial resources to fund the payments.
But Diaz claims his representatives were constantly assured Fanmio had the means to pay him for the boxing event and any payments were fully guaranteed.
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Diaz alleges that he is still owed a whopping $9 million from his boxing bout with MasvidalCredit: Getty
To date, Diaz has been awarded $6,500,000 from both Fanmio and its CEO, Engel, with the UFC star now awaiting approval from a Federal judge on his own arbitration award.
Just like Masvidal, Diaz, who has been in the UFC since 2007, has teased his return to the promotion many times, saying in March that he wants to fight for a title one more time.
His only career title fight was a lightweight defeat to Benson Henderson in December 2012.