American Top Team (ATT) owner Dan Lambert did not want Jorge Masvidal to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 earlier this month.
Masvidal notably stepped in on six days’ notice to challenge Usman for the welterweight title in the UFC 251 headliner. Although he would wind up losing a unanimous decision, “Gamebred” received plaudits for stepping in as well as his overall performance.
But Lambert never liked the idea as he tried convincing Masvidal not to take the fight to no avail.
“I found out Gilbert [Burns] dropped out because Jorge called me at like 1 o’clock in the morning,” Lambert told BJPenn.com. “He said hey, I’ll take that fight, let’s make some calls. I didn’t want him to [take it]. I tried to talk him out of it.
“That is like less than a week from today in Abu Dhabi, halfway around the world like are you out of your mind? He said, no, I’m taking the fight, it’s going to happen. Like alright, I’ll make a call and let them know you want it to happen and tell them to call your guys and start working it on it. I wasn’t a big fan of it happening on that kind of notice.
“There is a big difference between a guy who is around the gym and a guy in a training camp. But, Jorge Masvidal did pretty damn well.”
Masvidal Wants Rematch
Masvidal has since expressed his desire for a rematch as he believes he has what it takes to defeat Usman with a proper training camp — especially after going 25 minutes with him.
He even claimed he would reject a fight with Conor McGregor if it meant getting revenge on Usman. But for Lambert, he would much prefer the BMF champion face McGregor instead.
“Jorge probably has a much better seat at the table now that he has proven himself as a draw,” he said. “If I had my say, I want him to make as much money as possible. Conor McGregor is the biggest fight in the world for anybody. So, if I had my say, that would be his next.
“If Jorge has his say, he probably wants the rematch. Right now, the belt is more important than money.”
What do you think Masvidal should target next?