A marquee MMA matchup will unfold at UFC 189 on July 11 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when Nate Diaz and Matt Brown tangle in the Octagon.
Fox Sports 1's UFC Tonight broke the news of the impending welterweight showdown on Twitter:
BREAKING: Matt Brown vs Nate Diaz has been booked for UFC 189, per UFC. What a fight!
— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) April 9, 2015
Brown (19-13), who is the fifth-ranked welterweight in the UFC, is coming off two consecutive losses. Diaz lost in his previous UFC appearance to Rafael dos Anjos, dropping his overall record to 17-10.
Both fighters are in need of a spark to move their UFC prospects forward, so it should be a fascinating battle of wills in Las Vegas.
Nicknamed "The Immortal," Brown appears excited for his next opponent:
There you go. @UFCTonight announced it. Fighting Nate Diaz July 11th.... Can you say #fireworks
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) April 9, 2015
The same held true for MMA Fighting's Shaheen Al-Shatti:
Matt Brown vs. Nate Diaz locked for UFC 189, per @arielhelwani. My sacrifices to the blood gods are finally paying off.
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) April 9, 2015
Submissions are a specialty of Diaz's—the source of 11 of his 17 wins—but it's been a struggle at times for him to record takedowns.
Diaz's success rate on such maneuvers is just 37 percent compared to Brown's 48. That helps illustrate why he is ranked and ought to be the slightly favored fighter in their impending bout.
Although he is moving up a weight class, Diaz's leaning on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu discipline may give him an edge over Brown, whose background consists of that and judo. Brown's excellent striking should help his cause in what promises to be one of the bets fights on the UFC 189 card.
Note: Stats and background information courtesy of Sherdog.com and UFC.com.
