Nick Diaz's WAR MMA debut event to stream online – for name-your-own price

It won’t be the first time an entertainer has gone the name-your-own-price direction, but it probably will be a first in MMA.

Recent UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz is trying his hand at running his own promotion. WAR MMA holds its first event Saturday at Stockton Arena in Diaz’s home city of Stockton, Calif.

But what will be unique about the venture is that fans not in attendance can purchase an online stream of the event – for a price they set themselves. Or for nothing at all.

According to the WAR MMA site, fans can click in to give a donation to watch the fight card – or once there, they can backtrack and watch for free.

But for those who do donate, the highest donation will receive a pair of fight gloves signed by Diaz and his brother, fellow recent UFC title challenger Nate Diaz.  

Diaz announced WAR MMA this past month. The promotion will use a modified ring, not a cage, and contrary to the unified rules of MMA, elbow strikes will not be allowed on the ground.

Diaz essentially announced his retirement following a March title fight loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 – though retiring and coming back is something the former Strikeforce champion has done before. But if WAR MMA is successful, perhaps he’ll have found his new calling.

If nothing else, the pay-what-you-want tactic for the online stream of the card is outside-the-box thinking in the MMA world.

WAR MMA’s debut show features a welterweight bout between UFC vet Daniel Roberts (13-4) and Justin Baesman (12-4) in the main event.

The WAR MMA 1 fight card currently includes: