UFC president Dana White has compared Jorge Masvidal to Nick and Nate Diaz amid an increasingly tense pay dispute. Masvidal was supposed to fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title on July 11 but negotiations came to a standstill and ‘Gamebred’ called for his release from the UFC.
Gilbert Burns will instead fight ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ at UFC 251 and White told media ahead of UFC on ESPN 10 that the Brazilian had made the smart move by staying active. Masvidal, on the other hand, risks inactivity like the Diaz brothers if he chooses to keep complaining about pay, he said.
“It’s not a surprise, this is what we do. I mean we have been doing this for 20 years. People who want to fight, get fights, and people who don’t, don’t. And, [Gilbert Burns], is the number one ranked guy in the world. Number one vs. the champion. This kid wants to stay busy. These kids who go on runs like Burns is on and want to keep fighting and stay active, they’re healthy, it’s the smartest thing they could do. It doesn’t surprise me that Masvidal, Masvidal is very much like the Diaz brothers. He beats to the sound of his own drum and when he wants to do something, he does it. It’s not very surprising.”
The UFC boss had a simple message for Masvidal – if you want to fight give us a call, he said.
“Listen, I’m putting on fights every weekend for the next 10 years. If you want to fight, call us. We will offer you fights and if you don’t want to take them, you don’t have to. It’s always been that way. Everyone is acting like this is some new f*cking drama that just popped up and has never happened in the history of the sport. This happens all the time, non-stop.” (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)
Do you agree with Dana White? Is Jorge Masvidal behaving like the Diaz brothers during his pay dispute with the UFC?