From Kimbo Slice to Ronda Rousey — Who are the real BMFs in MMA

Nate Diaz had just had his hand raised after ending a three-year absence from the Octagon with a rugged victory over Anthony Pettis in summer 2019. It was a crowd-pleasing performance, as Diaz’s fights typically are, and when he stepped to the microphone for an interview inside the cage, he had a message for someone in that crowd.

“Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight,” Diaz said, much to the delight of “Gamebred,” who was sitting cageside in Anaheim, California. “All respect to the man. There ain’t no gangsters in this game anymore. There ain’t nobody who does it right but me and him.”

Was this an homage? A callout? Diaz didn’t specify — until a few minutes later backstage, when another microphone was put in front of him and he was asked if he wanted to fight Masvidal.

“I’m going to defend the baddest motherf—er belt, the baddest motherf—er in the game belt, against who I believe is the other baddest motherf—er in the game,” Diaz said.

To that point, the UFC brass had not envisioned booking such a matchup. But the blunt Diazian logic, combined with the loud pop from the UFC 241 crowd after hearing the feisty name drop, made it a no-brainer. So the fight was made.

And by the time Diaz and Masvidal stepped toward each other to fight that November at Madison Square Garden in New York, the UFC had fully gotten into the spirit by putting up for grabs a silver BMF belt, created just for the occasion. Masvidal won by third-round doctor’s stoppage, and the shimmering strap was wrapped around him by one of the baddest men in…