Getty Jorge Masvidal celebrates knocking out Darren Till.
UFC superstar Gilbert Burns ripped Jorge Masvidal for allegedly turning down multiple offers to fight him.
Former welterweight title challenger Burns is coming off a hard-fought war against top-ranked contender Khamzat Chimaev in April at UFC 273. He proved to be Chimaev’s toughest test so far and eventually lost by a razor-thin decision. Following the result, ‘Durinho’ was expecting a big matchup next. He got linked to a potential showdown with former two-time title challenger Masvidal. Although he stated a verbal agreement was in place, no concrete developments have come.
Masvidal expressed an interest in the bout but started rallying for a title shot after Leon Edwards dethroned former welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman in Aug. at UFC 278. Edwards shares a fierce rivalry with Masvidal that goes back to a physical altercation in 2019 at a UFC London event.
Considering Masvidal’s recent string of three losses, a title shot did not appear the most likely option despite the strong push from the Miami native to make it happen.
Burns Claims Masvidal Turned Down 3 Offers To Fight Him
On Nov. 14, Burns took to Twitter to call out Masvidal, claiming he turned down three fight offers.
“Just letting everyone know that @ufc offered me @GamebredFighter 3x First time was for Nov 12,” he wrote. “He said he needs more time, second time for Dec 10 he said he was going to to fight me and now he just said no again! so I guess the B from his BMF belt doesn’t stand for bad.”
Just letting everyone know that @ufc offered me @GamebredFighter 3x First time was for Nov 12. He said he needs more time, second time for Dec 10 he said he was going to 🇧🇷 to fight me and now he just said no again! 🤷🏾♂️ so I guess the B from his BMF belt doesn’t stand for bad 🤦🏾♂️
Burns Has Been Rallying for Masvidal Since His Last Outing
In August, Burns shared an update about the ongoing negotiations with the promotion and Masvidal.
“Nothing done yet – a lot of talks about the fight with Masvidal – he verbally agreed. I did too,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “They’re just figuring out the date. No date yet. November was too close, … so December or January. At least I know I have an opponent. Just figuring out the date right now.
“No. 1 would be MSG in November, but then he said no for that date,” Burns said. “Now December or January, I can wait like 20 more days to go to Brazil. I’m looking forward to go to the Brazil card.”
Edwards Is Open to Fighting Masvidal
Reigning 170-pound titleholder Edwards has talked about a potential outing with Masvidal. Although he is open to the idea, he needs ‘Gamebred’ to get back in the winning column.
“Masvidal is the one I definitely want to have, but because he keeps losing it’s difficult to make it make sense for the company, even for the fans, to sell it,” Edwards said in an interview with Nik Hobbs of Sky Sports. “It’ll probably sell as far as the back story of it. If Masvidal goes out and gets a big win, then that’s a fight that I want. I even said it: I’ll give him the title shot before that.
“My coach was like, ‘Nah, he doesn’t deserve it.’ But I was acting out of emotions. So whoever comes, number one contenders or money fights, for me, it doesn’t matter. I believe that I am the best.”
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UFC Warrior Rips Jorge Masvidal for Allegedly Declining 3 Offers To Fight Him