Jorge Masvidal reflects on first UFC title fight against Kamaru Usman, explains why it remains "a regret, but also not a regret"
Jorge Masvidal recently contemplated his short-notice welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 as a complex turning point in his career.
Masvidal's 2019 surge saw him transform from journeyman fighter to superstar with dominant victories over Darren Till and Ben Askren. This momentum propelled him into a title fight against Usman on Fight Island. Despite stepping in on short notice and salvaging the UFC 251 pay-per-view, Masvidal lost by unanimous decision.
In a recent appearance on the TimboSugarShow, Masvidal revealed his feelings about the fight. He expressed frustration with the UFC's initial pay offer, highlighting his desire for fairer compensation based on his drawing power. However, he acknowledged the financial windfall that came with taking the short-notice fight.
He said:
“It’s a regret, but also not a regret. When I got the call to fight [Kamaru] Usman on six days’ notice, me and the UFC had been going back because I wanted more pay-per-view money, I wanted a bigger distribution on the pay-per-views that I was bringing in, they weren’t budging on that…if I bring in money, I want to get paid money."
Masvidal added:
"If I sell 100-thousand pay-per-views, then don’t give me s***…but I wanted to get f**** paid… I had all of the chips on my side, because who is going to cut all this weight, six days, make weight and at the time I’m number one. So they didn’t have any choice…I fought for everything I could, I made more money than I ever had in my career…but I didn’t get the decision I wanted in that fight."H[H/t:BJPenn]
Masvidal believes a longer training camp could have resulted in a different outcome. He ultimately lost to Usman again in a rematch and suffered further defeats before his MMA retirement.
Check out Jorge Masvidal's comments below:
Jorge Masvidal set to rematch Nate Diaz in boxing
Jorge Masvidal will step back into the ring on July 6 for a boxing match against Nate Diaz. The fight is set for July 6 following a reschedule to avoid conflicting with the UFC 302 event.
Their first encounter, under MMA rules at UFC 244 in 2019, saw Masvidal claim a TKO victory due to a cut on Diaz. Both fighters have since exited the UFC, with Diaz even trying his hand at professional boxing against Jake Paul.