Arguably the UFC‘s biggest star has only one fight in mind whenever he makes his return to the octagon. Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to give his thoughts.
Even if UFC offered @GamebredFighter an opportunity to headline "the biggest PPV event [in] history" against Conor McGregor, Masvidal says he'd turn it down for a rematch with Kamaru Usman.
(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/Ewb70QU7is
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 14, 2020
Would the UFC run it back?
There is no question that Masvidal is the sport’s biggest star right now. Because of him, UFC 251 generated a whopping 1.3 million PPV buys.
Masvidal did come up short against UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (17-1), after taking the fight on six days notice. Masvidal looked really good early, but Usman’s pressure and wrestling gave him the victory.
Masvidal told Helwani that he believes he has the recipe to beat Usman. Many, including myself, thought the UFC would try to book Masvidal with Conor McGregor if Gamebred won the fight on Saturday.
A fight between those two would probably be the biggest fight of all time from a PPV perspective. Masvidal’s stock didn’t go down at all from the loss, in fact, it might have gone up.
As you can see in the video above, Masvidal was asked about a shot at McGregor. Gamebred has no interest in anyone but Kamaru Usman at this point.
You can hardly blame the man for wanting another shot at the title. Now, I think the UFC is going to stick to their guns by giving Gilbert Burns the next shot at the title. I personally think the UFC should book Masvidal with Colby Covington (15-2).
The fight makes perfect sense for both men. Both have a ton of heat between the two of them, and both are coming off of losses against the champion. A win for either puts them first in line for another shot.
The UFC could also look at booking Masvidal with Leon Edwards (18-3). That fight could sell well as they have history that involves a three piece and a soda. You can catch Masvidal’s full interview with Helwani below.