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Jorge Masvidal was in line to face current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, in the main event of UFC 251 on July 11, 2020 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi before failed contract negotiations spoiled those plans.
As a result, Gilbert Burns was given the title fight, though “Gamebred” feels “Durinho” was low-balled the promotion. Still, Masvidal says he does intend to compete in 2020, as long as the promotion pays him what he feels he is worth after being in the fight game for over 16 years.
“If we get our worth, it doesn’t matter who it is,” Masvidal said during a recent live chat via MMA Fighting. “I fight because I love it. I’ve been doing this, about to be 17 years now, I don’t have to f**king fight. I don’t. I love to do this sh*t but I’m going to get paid every f**king time I do it,” he said before revealing he’d be more than happy to rematch Nate Diaz.
“So if it’s Nate’s ass, whoever it is, it doesn’t matter. Just pay me what the f**k I’m worth. Of course, I would love to f**king to fight with Nate just because I didn’t get to put him to sleep when I wanted to.”’
Masvidal defeated Diaz via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at UFC 244 last November to win the “BMF” title in New York City. With six months remaining in the year in UFC filling out its fight cards at a very rapid pace, “Gamebred” is confident he will fight before 2021.
But it’s up to the promotion to not treat him like a rookie.
“God willing I’m going to fight this year,” Masvidal said. “What’s not gonna happen is I’m not gonna get played or underpaid. That’s for sure. I have a value, a formula we’ve come up with for what I’m worth and that comes off 16 years of doing this, of seeing the field in and out.
“I’m not some rookie. I’m not some guy handed the title for the first time in my life. I’m been in this position before in different organizations and stuff and we know how to calculate what I bring in. I want a fair share of what I bring in.”