UFC 244’s main event saw Jorge Masvidal defeat Nate Diaz via stoppage after the three rounds at Madison Square Garden in what would be the first and only match for the company’s special BMF Championship belt. Despite the controversial ending to the bout, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared inside the Octagon after the fight to present him with the title. The rivalry between Diaz and Masvidal started back at UFC 241, when Diaz claimed he was the “baddest motherf—er in the game” and challenge Masvidal, who was fresh off setting the record for fastest knockout in UFC history. Johnson took notice of the rivalry, and once the fight was announced he declared that he would personally attend the event at Madison Square Garden and award the winner with the specialty championship.
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The title was first introduced to the public during the UFC 244’s ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. Dwayne Johnson posed with the title in-between Masvidal and Diaz while the two gave their customary pre-fight face-off.
Masvidal ‘Rocks’ the #BMFBelt after doctor stops the fight! @GamebredFighter @TheRock @ufc #UFC244 pic.twitter.com/5Jf4DMryFN
— GIPHY Sports (@GIPHYSports) November 3, 2019
UFC president Dana White explained why the custom title was made back in September.
“So you know when Nate did his interview that night, he basically said this is for the baddest [expletive] in the game,” White said during the event’s press conference. “So you know this is one of those fights that after that interview, it started to build a life of its own through the fans and the media,”
“We didn’t seriously start talking about this fight until a couple of weeks later in a matchmaking meeting,” he continued. “And I said to my guys, ‘Listen, tell me if I’m crazy, but what do you think about us actually having a BMF belt? My guys loved it. And we started talking about it.
Cover photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
