There was no championship on the line when Nate Diaz walked into the cage for the first time in almost three years to face Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 on Saturday in Anaheim, California. The UFC tried to manufacture a grudge match in the weeks leading up to the bout, but no one seemed particularly convinced. As big fights go, the stakes were relatively low.
For Pettis, it was another important bout in a career full of them, a chance to stake his claim in the title picture. For Diaz, it was something else—the one thing more important than a belt wrapped in gold: his opportunity to reclaim his status as one of the sport's brightest stars.