Jorge Masvidal has urged Conor McGregor to put up or shut up about fighting him. Following Masvidal’s UFC 244 victory over Nate Diaz in November – which saw the former crowned the ‘Baddest Motherf****r in the Game’ – McGregor revealed his eagerness to throw down with the UFC vet – though he stopped short of calling him out by name.
That, however, changed last week in an interview with the MacLife, in which McGregor said: “I’d face Jorge. I’m not going to 170 just for Jorge.
“He hasn’t really got anything. I wasn’t that happy with how that bad f*****g thing [Masvidal’s fight with Diaz] ended.”
Masvidal responded with a subtle jibe at the Irishman on Twitter, insisting he wouldn’t bully the former two-division champion into facing him.
The Miami native was quizzed about a potential match-up with the UFC’s poster boy on Monday during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s ESPN Show.
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“He has some impressive records, and he comes to fight man, so in that aspect, yes.
“And we’re going to both f*****g sell out wherever we’re f*****g fighting at, and it’s going to be violence.”
Following a stellar 2019 – in which he scored stoppage wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Diaz – the mixed martial arts world is currently Masvidal’s oyster – with a welterweight title shot in the cusp of his hands.
McGregor himself is interested in facing Usman for the 170lb crown, though Masvidal insists the destiny of the division will be solely be decided by him.
“[McGregor] was talking about he wants the title fight with Usman,” the American Top Team standout said. “No, no.
“At [170-pounds], the way I am, I’ll decide when Usman will fight, who he’s gonna fight, all that s**t.
“Everybody knows that. [Usman] might have the f*****g belt, but I’m the one calling the f*****g shots.”
McGregor, 31, will return to the Octagon a week on Saturday in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas, where he’ll lock horns with Donald Cerrone in a welterweight match-up.