MMA News: Masvidal vs. Diaz change, UFC Saudi deal, Ryan Garcia admission

It's a slow news week in terms of the upcoming UFC St. Louis card, but for MMA and combat sports in general, some big things have been happening. BYB announced they'd purchased BKB in a blockbuster bare-knuckle acquisition, we're getting closer to a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, and Sean O'Malley and Conor McGregor are trading jabs on Twitter. It's another day in the life of an MMA fan.

But there are a few news bites that I think need a bit more attention than the rest, and I have some thoughts on each of them.

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The boxing fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal has been postponed [via Lance Pugmire, Boxing Scene]

Late Tuesday night, it was revealed that the previously scheduled boxing fight (and rematch) between former UFC fighters Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal has been postponed. The pair were supposed to fight at the Kia Forum on June 1 but they will now fight on July 6 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The change was due, in part to several big events, including UFC 302 starring Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, taking place on the same night.

What I think about it: Moving the date is a great move, when it was initially announced we all wondered how they'd sell a PPV with so many other things going down that same night. There is some wonder if they move was also due to lack of ticket sales but I don;t think that's a factor because they are moving into a larger venue (17,000 versus 18,000).

Ryan Garcia says he was 'high as f*ck' as another drug test comes back, clean this time [via Fully Tilted Podcast with Bob Menery]

The Ryan Garcia saga continues. After failing a drug test stemming from his fight with Devin Haney, it's been noted that a third test came back negative, implying that he may not be in as much trouble as we all initially thought. Prior to that news though, Garcia made a big admission.

“If I were on steroids, I would’ve been in way better shape,” said Garcia. “I was literally drinking every day, smoking weed – every single day. I didn’t stop, not even until the f*cking day of the fight. And I got in there high as f*ck and I beat his a*s.”

What I think about it: At this point, I no longer know what to think about Ryan Garcia. He's a loose canon and has already proven that he can't be trusted. I think he needs to stop talking and let the investigation play out before he digs himself into a deeper hole.

UFC, Saudi Arabia reach monumental deal for 2025 [via Turki Alalshikh, Twitter]

On Tuesday it was announced that UFC and Saudi Arabia signed a "strategic agreement" to bring more events for Riyadh Season. This is in addition to the Fight Night card already scheduled for June 22. The deal also includes an event in the US, a sponsorship of the first event at The Sphere in Las Vegas and a Power Slap in Riyadh.

What I think about it: It's hard to be overly excited about a country with several human rights issues taking a bigger stronghold in combat sports but here we are. It's not the best feeling but it's also a step towards potentially bigger things for the UFC and Power Slap and that's a good thing. Sportswashing is a real thing and unfortunately doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon.

Stay tuned for more articles like these where I break down of of the dat's biggest combat sports stories and give my take on them.