Masvidal happy with Usman deal: 'I get to break this guy's face and get paid'
The UFC officially announced Jorge Masvidal as the challenger to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on Monday, and the "BMF" titleholder is happy with his short-notice payday for the main event at UFC 251.
"I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I got very, very close to it," Masvidal told ESPN's Ariel Helwani on Monday.
He added: "I'm happy, more than anything, because I get to break this guy's face and get paid for it. But one thing I'm not going to do - which I've done a lot in my career - is get underpaid. That's not gonna happen no more."
Masvidal was initially supposed to fight Usman after earning the "BMF" title in a bout with Nate Diaz in November. The UFC, however, refused to meet Masvidal's asking price following months of negotiations and eventually pivoted to Gilbert Burns.
But the promotion was forced to go back to Masvidal - an outcome "Gamebred" predicted - when Burns dramatically withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test Friday.
"So when we got undercut and lowballed, alright, cool, no problem. Let's see what happens, you know?" Masvidal said. "I told my manager, I told several people ... 'Watch, at the last moment they're probably gonna call me back, and some craziness is going to happen."
Masvidal said the original sticking point in negotiations with the UFC was his cut of pay-per-view earnings. The 35-year-old confirmed he needed to sign a new contract in order to secure the Usman bout - as is standard practice within the UFC - but added that he received a "pretty good deal."
Masvidal already has plans for a potential first title defense - either run it back against Diaz or look to avenge his most recent loss by taking out Stephen Thompson - but he's facing a tall order to become the 170-pound king.
Not only is Usman a difficult stylistic matchup, but the champion will have the benefit of a full training camp. Still, Masvidal believes taking on a challenge of this magnitude is what defines him as UFC's "BMF."
"The only guy who was willing to step up and fight on six days' notice, cut 20 f------ pounds of weight, travel overseas, and murder this f------ idiot, was me," said Masvidal.