Opinion: Running behind Conor McGregor is going to stall Jorge Masvidal's momentum
Given his recent comments about who he wants his next opponent to be, Jorge Masvidal doesn't seem to be very keen on a title fight against the reigning UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman anytime soon.
Masvidal had an incredible year starting with a sensational victory against former Welterweight contender Darren Till, followed by an obliterating knockout of Ben Askren within 5 seconds in what is the fastest knockout in UFC history. He also secured a victory against Nate Diaz for the BMF belt. Masvidal owned 2019, and he is the perfect fit for becoming UFC's Fighter of the Year.
The welterweight division at the moment is the best it has ever been. Kamaru Usman retained his welterweight title against Colby Covington this past week at UFC 245. In a Fight of the Year contender, Usman knocked out Covington in the fifth round of the bout. Since Kamaru Usman successfully retained his belt in his first title defense, he should be the one Masvidal should be targeting next. However, Masvidal pulled the curtains on a possible title fight against Usman by announcing that he has his eyes set on a money fight with Conor McGregor.
“Conor is not always going to be around,” Masvidal told Fansided MMA. “Whoever has that belt at the time will always be there. There will always be a 170-pound champion.”
Masvidal should be aiming for the UFC gold. Once he is a champion, he gets to decide his opponents. Every fighter in the division loves a title opportunity, and if Masvidal can make money after becoming the champion, it's the first thing he should do. Masvidal looking for money fight is indeed a great thing for his career but he can potentially achieve so much more once there is a title strapped around his waist. Like Conor, Masvidal's next target should be to get the championship belt and call the shots on his future opponents from there.
“I see why he would say that, but I think it would be a real shame if right now in his prime of primes, he didn’t fight for the title." Joe Rogan said on his podcast.
Having said that, fact remains that a match-up against Usman is a stylistic nightmare for the former given Usman's repertoire. It could very well be that Masvidal is wary of Usman's superior wrestling, which completely dominated Tyron Woodley when the pair met at UFC 235 and Gamebred might be willing to wait it out till the title changes hands and he can then square off against an opponent stylistically well-suited for him.