White to Masvidal: ‘This isn’t like the NFL’

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“Please don’t compare us to these other leagues,” Masvidal responded, as Dana White looked to downplay the ‘BMF’ champ’s pay concerns during a recent UFC presser.

Jorge Masvidal sounds like he’s not at all happy with the way his recent negotiations with the UFC have been going. The ‘BMF’ champ took to Twitter to air his grievances, seemingly telling ESPN that they should get him released from his contract if they don’t think he’s worth the money.

Masvidal has issued a string of similar statements over the past several days and, during a recent fight week presser for this Saturday’s UFC 250 PPV event, Dana White gave his response (transcript via MMA Junkie).

“I think everybody wants more money,” White said. “I think everybody wants more money in all these other sports. Masvidal says, ‘You’ve got enough money to buy islands.’ Let me repeat for the (expletive) billionth time: I did not buy an island, OK? We did not buy an island.”

“Anybody that doesn’t want to fight doesn’t have to fight, including Masvidal and Jon Jones and all these other guys,” White added. “It doesn’t have to be because of the pandemic. These guys are independent contractors. This isn’t like the NFL where I can make you: ‘You come to practice and you do this or you’re going to get fined or you’re going to get this.’ These guys can do whatever they want. They can say whatever they want.”

It didn’t take the ATT fighter long to respond to White’s comparisons between the UFC and the NFL, especially the idea that NFL athletes are worse off for having to operate as contractual employees.

“Please don’t compare us to these other leagues,” Masvidal wrote in a post on Twitter, in response to White’s comments. “I wish we can negotiate for less pay like the other leagues where the players get half the revenue they generate. We are negotiating from like what 12% to maybe 18% of revenue we generate? We are negotiating down from way under 50% of the revenue. I don’t get paid on the hot dog you sell in the arena or the logo on the cage. I’ve never made a dollar on the ticket you sell. I get punched in the face for a living and even I know the pandemic or what’s left of it has nothing to do with it.”

Masvidal hasn’t competed since UFC 244, in November of last year—where he picked up the UFC’s new ‘BMF’ title in a 3rd round TKO victory over Nate Diaz. That win came on the heels of two other spectacular 2019 KO’s, against Darren Till and Ben Askren. Unfortunately, if the UFC and Masvidal can’t find some middle ground, it may be a while before fans get to see ‘Gamebred’ back in the Octagon again.