SEATTLE — Over the course of a decade-long fight career, Jorge Masvidal hasn’t exactly been known as a trash talker.
But Michael Chiesa apparently brings out the worst in him.
Masvidal, who meets Chiesa in the FX headline bout on Saturday’s UFC on FOX 8 bout at Key Arena, feels Chiesa disrespected his American Top Team campmate, Anton Kuivanen, during Chiesa’s UFC 157 win over Kuivanen.
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Whle Masvidal didn’t specify what exactly constituted said insults, the perceived slights caused Masvidal to go on a tirade. Talking to reporters at Thursday’s media day at the Westin hotel, Masvidal did everything from threatening to get in an extra shot before the referee stops him to claiming Chiesa’s trademark unruly beard has syphilis.
“I just think he’s a punk, and I’m going to go out there and prove it,” Masvidal told reporters. “I really just don’t care for him. I didn’t like his sportsmanship toward one of my teammates in his last fight. He was kind of a jerk. I just don’t care for him at all.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s personal, Masvidal continued. “Its not like I’m seeing him in the street and fighting or nothing like that. It’s not like he owes me money. I just don’t like the dude. Usually with my opponents, I don’t care if they win the lottery or they die. For this guy I really don’t care about him at all. I don’t like him.”
Chiesa, the undefeated Ultimate Fighter 15 winner, is known for sporting a beard which rival the likes of Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. Masvidal, though, wants Washington’s commission to step in and make him shave it down.
“I’m going to tell the commission to wrap that thing up,” Masvidal said. “I don’t want to get no mat herpes or nothing on my face. I’ve been in this game a long time, and I ain’t got nothing on my face. I ain’t about catch some syphilis or whatever he’s got going on in that beard, you know?”
The commission informed Chiesa his beard is fine as is Friday afternoon.
Chiesa, for his part, refuses to engage Masvidal in his one-sided war of words. “Whatever pumps him up. I’ll let my actions speak for themselves. I’m not a talker. I’m a performer, and I’m going to perform on Saturday night.”
Instead, the Spokane, Wash.-based fighter chatted with reporters about the origins of his legendary facial hair.
“The funny thing is that I always kept it a little long. But when I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ I asked them (about it). I asked them, ‘Hey, I really want to trim this thing down.’ And they’re like, ‘Nope, can’t do it. Consistency. When you trim it, we can’t go back and use old footage.’ So I got stuck with growing this big huge beard.”
But Masvidal’s having none of that.
“It add a little something to it,” he said. “You want to get in that extra shot right before the referee stops it.”