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Daniel Cormier? Paul Felder? Michael Bisping? Dominick Cruz? It sounds like Jorge Masvidal has a bone to pick with one or two members of the UFC broadcast crew.
Jorge Masvidal’s public feud with the UFC doesn’t show any signs of letting up just yet. The recently crowned ‘BMF’ champion has taken his negotiations with the promotion over a potential title shot against Kamaru Usman public, letting everyone know that he’s not about to take a pay cut from his fight against Nate Diaz late last year, just for a chance to win more UFC gold.
That stance has brought some interesting stories to the forefront, like those of Gray Maynard and Sam Stout—both of whom recently took to social media to recount their own experiences negotiating with the promotion. But it’s also put ‘Gamebred’ in the spotlight for at least one fighter who straddles the line between media member and athlete: Daniel Cormier. In his podcast work with Ariel Helwani, Cormier has made it clear that he doesn’t feel Masvidal’s tactics are all that well reasoned.
Whether that’s exactly what Masvidal was referring to in a recent tweet – talking about his UFC negotiations – or not, the longtime ATT fighter took a shot at UFC fighters who have worked their way into commentary positions both during and after their fighting careers.
And for the #whiteknights that have commentating jobs with the ufc that say “just fight” you guys should be embarrassed to call yourselves current/former fighters. Not one of you been doing it as long as me and like me. There’s a reason you are “commentating”
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) June 14, 2020
In a recent DC & Helwani episode, the former double champ and current heavyweight title contender gave his take on Masvidal’s message, and just what he’s trying to get across with his feelings on public negotiations.
“I never said ‘just fight,’ but when the guy says ‘current or former fighters’ and he said, ‘you haven’t been doing it as long as me’—no, I haven’t… If he’s talking about me, I’ve done it like him—if not better. Not just him, most people. I’ve done it better than most people in the world. So, I think maybe he wasn’t talking about me… And I think those guys that are commentating? That’s great. They’re making money. They’re making money, they’re securing their future. Hey, you make a lot of money calling fights. A lot of money.”
“At the end of the day, he’s not getting his title shot,” Cormier continued. “And he’s not getting his money… It doesn’t really work. It doesn’t benefit you. You can be a rich guy that does business, or you can be a guy that everybody loves – and you have all this street cred and street fame – but still not have the thing that’s gonna allow for you to make a better life for your family.”
Paul Felder didn’t give a direct response to Masvidal’s tweet, but he made his own argument for why he’s happy doing commentary work alongside his fighting career, with a highlight of all the gruesome injuries that his years in the cage have dealt him.