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Former WEC champion and current ATT head coach Mike Brown says Jorge Masvidal is ready to go whenever the UFC is ready to open their wallet.
The UFC’s ongoing back-and-forth with Jorge Masvidal over what was supposed to have been a welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman this summer shows no signs of slowing down. With the UFC looking to keep Masvidal to his previous contract terms following his victory over Nate Diaz to claim the ‘BMF’ title last November, ‘Gamebred’ has resolutely refused to take what he claims would essentially be a hefty pay cut.
Neither side appears to have moved much off that position, resulting in Gilbert Burns’ upcoming challenge to Usman’s belt at UFC 251 on July 12th. And, according to ATT head coach Mike Brown, it doesn’t appear that Masvidal’s going to be backing off any time soon—even while he’s still putting in the work to stay ready for his return to the cage.
“He’s been in every day. He’s in great shape. He’s ready to go,” Brown told MMA Fighting during a recent interview, adding that Masvidal helped Dustin Poirier prepare for his bout with Dan Hooker.
“Masvidal’s there. He’s ready to go,” Brown said. “Once they come to an agreement, they give him the money he’s worth, then we’ll have a welterweight champ.”
Most recently UFC president Dana White compared Masvidal to the Diaz brothers in terms of negotiation difficulty. “He beats to the sound of his own drum,” White told reporters. “When he wants to do something, he does it.” Adding that it’s “not very surprising at all,” that Masvidal is and the UFC are having trouble coming to terms in negotiations. Just when that means fans can expect to see Masvidal in the Octagon again, at this point, is anyone’s guess.