Masvidal looking to get paid: 'If I'm not worth it, let me go'
Another high-profile star appears to be taking a stand against the UFC.
Jorge Masvidal has been in talks to fight welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for months, but the bout has yet to come to fruition. "Gamebred" became one of the UFC's most popular fighters after earning three straight finishes in 2019.
Now, Masvidal wants to get paid. In a series of tweets Friday, the American Top Team product suggested the UFC isn't willing to offer him what he believes he's worth for his next fight.
If I’m not worth it let me go @espn
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) June 5, 2020
Why make me fight for half of what I made on my last fight cause the other dude can’t draw?
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) June 5, 2020
Don’t tell me about a pandemic when reports today show highest stock market has ever been. Everybody getting back to work and you buying an island. Stop playing us and the fans #theawakening
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) June 5, 2020
Earlier this week, Masvidal tweeted that it "shouldn't be this hard to get a deal done."
UFC president Dana White responded to Masvidal's comments at a press conference Friday.
"I think everybody wants more money," he said, according to MMA Weekly.
Masvidal shares the same management as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who's also spoken out over a pay dispute with the promotion. Jones has been involved in a public spat with White for over a week after he claimed the fighter wanted an "absurd amount of money" to move up in weight and fight Francis Ngannou.
Masvidal, the No. 3-ranked welterweight, is coming off a TKO win over Nate Diaz in the main event of November's UFC 244, the promotion's annual Madison Square Garden event. Prior to that, the 35-year-old beat Ben Askren in a record five seconds and knocked out Darren Till.