Getty Jorge Masvidal during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City.
On November 2, 2019, welterweight Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal won the “Baddest Motherf**ker” title when he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 244. It was Gamebred’s third victory in a row at welterweight, and the win seemingly set him up for the next shot at champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman’s belt, according to analysts.
In late January, when UFC president Dana White appeared on the Jim Norton show, he claimed that Usman and Masvidal would likely compete against each other during International Fight Week in July. However, that fight has still not been signed and scheduled.
Gamebred spoke with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Wednesday, and he said that he’s in good shape and willing to fight in the summer. But a match with the champion hasn’t materialized for the No. 3 contender and he said it’s because Usman is asking for too much money.
Masvidal said to Helwani:
Kamaru has asked for an insane amount of money. He had one of the worst pay-per-view cards of 2019. I had the best. Just by numbers, this is not an opinion. I had the most sold pay-per-views of 2019. So he thinks he’s hit the jackpot and he’s asking crazy money from the UFC. The UFC has told him, ‘No,’ on several occasions.
According to Masvidal, since The Nigerian Nightmare is asking for an “absurd” amount of money, the UFC hasn’t been able to strike a deal with the champion. During the interview, Gamebred also said that he and Usman have never received a bout agreement to sign. Although Masvidal wants to fight Usman on July 11, it’s unclear if a summer fight will materialize between the two men.
On May 27, White told ESPN: “Listen, the next title fight for Usman is going to be one of these guys — it’s gonna be Colby [Covington], Masvidal [or Leon] Edwards.”
In recent days, Masvidal and Usman have both expressed interest in fighting other opponents. The Nigerian Nightmare has called out Conor McGregor and Masvidal has hyped a rematch with Nate Diaz.
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Usman Is Campaigning for a Fight Against Conor McGregor & Masvidal Has Expressed Interest in Rematching Nate Diaz
On May 23, Masvidal replied to Nate Diaz’s Twitter post that said: “P4p the baddest motherfucker here f**k all y’all.” Masvidal replied, “I beg to differ #1of1.”
Gamebred then tweeted, “Lets run it back.”
Lets run it back #theresurrection #andstill
Gamebred also posted an image of him kicking Diaz in their bout with the caption: “Hope you upgraded your abs routine.”
Hope you upgraded your abs routine #supernecessary
When speaking with Helwani, Masvidal said, “To tell you the truth and be honest with you, I don’t think Nate has a problem with going at all. I think Nate is ready to go and he’s willing to go. ”
In response to Masvidal’s tweet, Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted, “It looks like #1 contender wants to fight Nate Diaz now . Good for him [Conor McGregor] hey you want a title shot ? Come to daddy [Kamaru Usman] will give you one and he promise first 2 rounds without takedowns only slaps.”
On May 25, Usman posted a photoshopped image of himself and McGregor inside the Octagon with the caption: “I really don’t understand why you all want this man DEAD!!! I’d shag him in there if I wanted and he’d ‘DO NOTHIN’ FOH.”
I really don’t understand why you all want this man DEAD!!! I’d shag him in there if I wanted and he’d “DO NOTHIN” FOH 😒
In the May 27 interview with ESPN , White confirmed that McGregor would not be getting the next shot at Usman.
UFC’s International Fight Week Is ‘Doubtful’ Due to COVID-19
The United States has changed greatly with the emergence of the COVID-19 coronavirus. International Fight Week takes place every year in early July, and it features different events, including fan expos, Q&As with fighters and at least one UFC fight card.
International Fight Week 2020 is scheduled to take place from July 7-12 in Las Vegas, but with the coronavirus and regulations on public gatherings, the event is highly unlikely to happen. During a conference call with UFC fighters, White said that International Fight Week was “doubtful.”
Although there may not be a week-long event, the UFC will likely have a PPV event on July 11. Typically there is a massive fight card on the Saturday of International Fight Week, and Masvidal is a high-profile name that could either headline or act as the co-main event for the card.
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