It’s
been a while since Nate Diaz had an MMA fight. |
Getty/UFC
Most Valuable Promotions is planning on making a serious impact
with its first mixed martial arts event.
MVP announced on Monday that a five-round clash pitting Nate Diaz
against Mike Perry
has been added to its May 16 card at the Intuit Dome in Los
Angeles. Diaz vs. Perry will be contested at welterweight. The
MVP card is headlined by a women’s featherweight tilt between
Ronda
Rousey and Gina Carano,
while Francis
Ngannou will square off against Philipe
Lins in the evening’s co-main event. The card will be the first
MMA event to be broadcast on Netflix.
“MVP delivered the most-viewed boxing event since the advent of
cable, and now we’re set to break records again with the biggest
viewership in MMA history with the addition of Diaz vs Perry to
Rousey vs Carano and Ngannou vs Lins,” said MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian
in a release. “Nate Diaz is
the real BMF, and Mike Perry
is the ‘King of Violence.’ This will be a war from the first press
conference all the way to the end when one of them has their hand
raised.”
Diaz will return to MMA for the first time since September 2022,
when he ended his Octagon tenure with a fourth-round submission
victory over Tony
Ferguson at UFC 279. The Stockton, California, native emerged
as one of the sports biggest stars during his
UFC tenure, thanks in large part to a pair of bouts against
Conor
McGregor. The 40-year-old has competed twice in boxing since
leaving the UFC, dropping a unanimous verdict to Jake Paul in
August 2023 before defeating Jorge
Masvidal via majority decision in July 2024.
‘Time to Set the Bar Again’
“Glad to be in action. It’s time,” Diaz stated. “Don’t forget where
this all came from. I got plans on doing a lot more in the next 10
years, no matter where it is. Time to set the bar again, so get
ready for a new takeover again and again until the end of
time.”
Perry, 34, hasn’t fought in MMA since April 2021, when he lost a
unanimous decision to Daniel
Rodriguez in his final UFC appearance. “Platinum” went 7-8 in
the UFC but has since found a home in BKFC, where he has become the
organization’s top star. Perry is 6-0 in BKFC, capturing the “King
of Violence” crown while defeating noteworthy names such as
Jeremy
Stephens, Thiago
Alves, Eddie
Alvarez, Luke
Rockhold and Michael
Page.
“The King of Violence returns to MMA to elbow his opponent in the
f—ing face,” Perry said “Saturday, May 16th, on Netflix, Nate Diaz is
going lights out.”
Group chats everywhere are about to explode
over this one…🔥 OFFICIAL 🔥@NateDiaz209
🆚 @PlatinumPerry
———
Saturday, May 16th
LIVE only on Netflix
Intuit Dome – Los Angeles, CA#DiazPerry
#RouseyCarano
#NgannouLins pic.twitter.com/eOZEdjgWJ9— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions)
March 16, 2026