Nate Diaz has often faced trouble with lacerations during his battles. And it’s usually the prominent supraorbital ridge and the nose that get targeted for the Stockton native. While many get squeamish at the sight of Diaz’s fights, there was one man from NHL star who pictured Diaz’s bloodied face as a fight memoir. And that man was none other than the captain and center for the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews. 

The hockey star watched Nate Diaz live as the Stockton native took on the former welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, at UFC 263. Yes, Matthews was present cage side as the two welterweights engaged in a fierce battle. As always, Diaz suffered from facial lacerations. As for the result, Diaz lost the bout via a unanimous decision. 

Following the battle, the Californian fighter claimed, “In a real fight, in a real world, that fight’s a wrap. He was sleepwalking. I got cut in training. That’s why we pushed the fight back a month. I kind of lost motivation after that. He won, but I feel like I’m the better fighter still.” But for Matthews, Diaz gave him an experience he’d never really forget. 

In a conversation with Sportsnet, the NFL star recollected his experience watching the fight up close. He said, “Diaz fought Edwards, I think that was like the co-main event. It was a really good fight. He was leaking and I just remember, I got home, I looked at my shoes, and I had blood on my shoes. So, I thought it was the coolest thing. And I was like, ‘It’s for sure, it’s his blood, too, because he was leaking a ton.’” 

With his face lined with scar tissue, Diaz cuts open up quite frequently. And apparently, that has hindered the former welterweight contender’s return to the fighting world. David Feldman, the head of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, also weighed in on signing Nate Diaz for a fight, but this issue with Diaz getting cut often led him to reconsider. 

Nate Diaz’s susceptibility to cuts forces David Feldman and others to reconsider

After the events of BKFC Texas, Feldman weighed in on having the rematch between Diaz and Josh Thomson at the BKFC. However, it was the Stockton native’s cut-prone face that stood as a hurdle. Feldman said, “I’ve talked to Nate a bunch of time. Nate Diaz is a warrior, but he gets cut a lot. And that’s his fear of bare knuckle, which is getting cut too much.” But one thing is certain. Diaz is a name that many want to go up against and the BKFC boss knew it pretty well. He continued, “But I think a lot of people are calling him out right now in Bare Knuckle, and I think I’m gonna have a conversation with him this week.” 

Not too long ago, Mike Perry, expressed his desire to fight Nate Diaz. But the story simply repeated itself. ‘Platinum’ said, “I know that I’m supposed to have some news mid July. I may have said in the past early July. Maybe Nate Diaz sometimes, huh? We talked about that, yeah. I was talking with DAZN yesterday. I was like, ‘Man, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry. There’s a fight there somewhere.’ But these guys wouldn’t do it bare-knuckle.” 

Diaz ended his career with a record of 21-13. He fought some of the toughest fighters in the UFC, including Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson. And while Feldman and his fighters have challenged Diaz on multiple occasions, he has yet to provide a solid response to the callouts. Can Diaz avoid getting cut if he returns? Or will Auston Matthews get another chance to put blood stains on another one of his shoes?