Former No. 1 UFC welterweight contender Nick Diaz will launch his new MMA promotion, WAR, on Saturday, June 22, at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., according to an announcement on the company website.
UFC veteran Daniel “Ninja” Roberts (13-4), will face Justin Baesman (12-4) in the evening’s main event. The card is co-headlined by Antonio Banuelos against Benny Vinson.
The fight card will also feature Caleb Mitchell vs. Evan Esguerra, Roy Boughton vs. Liron Wilson, Mike Persons vs. Clayton “Money Shot” McKinney, and Darin Cooley vs. Cody Gibson.
Diaz, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, last fought in a failed attempt to beat Georges St-Pierre for his 170-pound title. Diaz then announced his retirement from competition, and began the process to launch his own MMA promotion.
According to the website, bouts in WAR will be fought under the Unified Rules of MMA, modified to use a ring instead of a cage and disallow elbow strikes to a grounded opponent. These rules are in place to encourage grapplers to advance their position instead of stalling, the website read.
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