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Jorge Masvidal is on board to fight Nate Diaz, but only if he gets what he’s worth.
The obstacle most likely to prevent Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz from happening is money, according to “Gamebred.”
Masvidal, a top UFC welterweight contender who has drastically risen in popularity since a five-second knockout win in July, said Thursday that the only way a fight with Diaz doesn’t get booked is if the UFC undervalues the two fighters by giving them a low offer.
“Let’s see how UFC plays, if they’re gonna play hardball, or they gonna give into what the fans f-cking want,” Masvidal said to reporters at American Top Team in Coconut, Creek Florida (via MMA Fighting). “Are they gonna listen to the fans or not? If the fight doesn’t get made, it’s not because I don’t want it or Nate doesn’t want it — it’s because we’re not getting what we want.
“It’s sad to say. That’d be the only way it doesn’t go down.”
Diaz, one of the biggest stars in the sport, called out Masvidal after his UFC 241 win over Anthony Pettis last weekend in Anaheim. It was Diaz’s first fight since his rematch with Conor McGregor in August 2016. Masvidal was at the event and was shown on the broadcast smiling and pumping his fist during Diaz’s post-fight interview. UFC president Dana White said Saturday he liked the idea of Masvidal vs. Diaz.
But after a viral flying-knee knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239, Masvidal has made it clear that if he’s not fighting for the 170-pound title, he wants a lot of money. Masvidal said Monday that if he doesn’t get what he believes he’s worth, he “won’t even get out of bed.”
“I just know I’ve put my ducks in a row, Nate did the same thing,” Masvidal said. “We’re on a collision course; we gotta get compensated for it. That’s it. That’s all we’re f-cking saying. That’s all I’m f-cking saying. I just want to get compensated for my f-cking services.”