Jorge Masvidal was really looking forward to a ‘dog’ fight against Nick Diaz.
It was expected that Jorge Masvidal would welcome Nick Diaz back to the Octagon at UFC 235, but it looks like Diaz is too busy partying.
“I think that’s pretty clear,” White said of Nick’s disinterest in fighting Masvidal. “All you’ve got to do is look at [Diaz’s] Instagram. I don’t think it looks like he’s training for a fight.”
Masvidal, who hasn’t fought since he dropped a unanimous decision to Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson At UFC 217, is disappointed that Diaz has dropped out of the fight.
Speaking to MMA Junkie in a recent interview, ‘Gamebred’ said he was looking forward to testing himself against a ‘dog’ like Diaz. The 34-year-old was also open to a brawl with younger brother, Nate Diaz.
“Obviously, I want to fight Diaz, because they’re dogs,” Masvidal said. “That’s what I really admire about them. Their skillset is not the greatest. They’re great at boxing. They’re great at jiu-jitsu even off their backs, but that thing – they don’t kick, they don’t wrestle.
“There are a lot of things they don’t do. But what makes them stand out from other fighters is the dog in them. The game. And that’s what I wanted to get after. I wanted to get in there and see who’s more dog – who’s really got that dog in them, that game. That’s what I was looking the most forward to.”
Masvidal is still open to a fight against Diaz but, right now, the ex-Miami street fighter wants a reliable opponent – someone who is guaranteed to show up on the night.
“It depends on which stage of my life I’d be in,” Masvidal said. “Right now, (I wouldn’t want it), because I just want to fight. I want a guaranteed fight. I don’t want something like this to happen. I just want to fight. So, right now, I wouldn’t want to fight anybody that’s had like a high rate of signing and then somehow, some way end up not fighting, whether it’s by injury or whatever it is. I wouldn’t want to fight anybody like that. I want to fight somebody that’s pretty dead-locked when they sign the contract.”
With Diaz no longer available, Masvidal is hoping to fight another game opponent — one who is preferably in the top-five — in his hometown of Miami.
“I’m hoping to kick somebody’s butt in my city, but I would want like a top-five, top-10 dude,” he said. “Somebody who can give people back home a good show, not some dry humper. Somebody who’s going to come to (expletive) fight the whole damn time.”
It’s been rumoured that the UFC is looking to book a show in Miami, Florida sometime in April.