Jorge Masvidal admits he rejected an offer to face welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 249.
The pair have been going back and forth for quite some time now. As the rivalry builds, so does speculation about when they will finally fight. A date in July has often been spoken about, however, as of yet, nothing has been made official.
Last week Khabib Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal left the main event spot at UFC 249 up for grabs. Both Masvidal and Usman said they were willing to fight, before saying the other had declined.
Speaking to BT Sport Masvidal admitted a deal was on the table to face Usman at UFC 249 but the offer wasn’t good enough to allow him to accept the fight, he said.
“There was a deal on the table, but when the full deal and the whole extent of it got brought through and how it was going to play out, the budget really wasn’t there in a way for what we were asking,” Masvidal said. “The price tag that I put out there, they didn’t wanna pay. This other guy, who knows if he was in or not, but my price wasn’t met. And for the risk-to-reward factor, I wanted to get compensated and the compensation wasn’t really there.”
“We weren’t too far off either, we can make it work in the future for a fact,” Masvidal said. “I think in July, I’ll be beheading this guy for the whole world to see.”
“We all know he’s not gonna throw fists when it comes to me, he’s gonna try to act like he’s gonna throw fists and then he’s gonna go for the takedown, and he’s going to quickly find out I’ll never get held down by that guy. I won’t get out-grappled by that guy. I’ll put my life on it, I’ll put my money on it. I’m in the firm belief system that I’m a better fighter than him and I’m going to prove it in July.” (Transcribed by MMAJunkie)