//

Morning Report: Jorge Masvidal would be interested in bout with Nick Diaz: ‘You want to do right for your brother? Let’s go’

April 27, 2021
Jorge Masvidal and Joe Rogan
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

At UFC 261 this past Saturday, Masvidal came up short in his second bid for the UFC welterweight title, getting knocked out in the second round by champion Kamaru Usman. Though an obvious setback for “Gamebred”, there is a silver lining for Masvidal: a potential bout with Nick Diaz.

Diaz has been rumored to be planning a return to the cage this year and was in attendance on Saturday, sitting cageside for Masvidal’s KO loss. At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White addressed Diaz’s presence saying that the elder Diaz brother wanted a fight and the UFC would offer him one, and Masvidal would love to be the one to welcome him back.

“Definitely, Nick is a stud,” Masvidal told ESPN. “If Nick wants to throw down I’m more than willing to throw down. Like I said, I’m going to do it on my time, I’m not taking short notice fights, no matter who it is. I’m not going to do that right now. But, if Nick does want to fight towards the end of this year, what can I say, I’m here.”

Aside from just being a fight between two of the most popular athletes in MMA, there is also a built in storyline for a bout between Masvidal and Diaz. After ascending to the top of the public consciousness by knocking out Ben Askren in five seconds, Masvidal cemented his celebrity by winning the specialty “BMF” title against Nick’s younger brother, Nate Diaz. Since then, rumors of a rematch have continued to linger but the dominant performance from Masvidal in the fight has kept enthusiasm low. A bout with Nate’s older brother though, that’s a different story.

“You want to do right for your brother? Let’s go,” Masvidal said. “I heard a lot of interviews that he wasn’t too keen on what I did to his little brother. Neither would I. I feel for Nick in that situation. I know what I’d wanna do if somebody did that to my little brother. So, let’s go.”

Unfortunately for Masvidal, he’s not the only fighter currently in the Nick Diaz derby. 2020’s Breakout Fighter of the Year, Khamzat Chimaev has also been rumored to be in consideration for Diaz and a number of other welterweights have called for the bout as well. Fortunately for Masvidal, Diaz isn’t his only option. The BMF champion has a number of simmering rivalries he can cash in on in the future, primarily with Colby Covington and Leon Edwards, who both took the time to engage in some schadenfreude upon seeing Masvidal get knocked out, which Masvidal took in stride.

“I’ve got plenty of groupies and it just goes to show you that whether I win or lose, them b****** is always gonna be calling me out, them b****** is always gonna be on my d***,” Masvidal said, smiling. “So it’s like, I love my groupies, you know? (Blows a kiss).”

Edwards is currently set to face Nate Diaz this summer in a bout that could have title ramifications. Meanwhile, Dana White anointed Covington as the top contender for Usman’s title before UFC 261, however Usman has consistently maintained that Covington needed to get another win before rematching him. If Usman holds to that, it’s possible that either man could be next for Masvidal. Either way though, there is plenty of time to figure things out. Masvidal is planning to take some time off following the KO and plans to return later in 2021. Perhaps by then, there will be more clarity on who he can fight.

“I’ll definitely fight again this year. I have to,” Masvidal said. “I’ve got to fight this year. I want to. If it wasn’t for this suspension and this knockout, I would have been fighting three or four times this year. It’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to just compete a lot. I still want to compete a lot this year but obviously the circumstance, so if I can at least get one fight this year, I’ll be happy. If I can pull off two, which is doubtful, that would be cool.”

TOP STORIES

Recovery. Chris Weidman details injuries and timeline for recovery in first statement since UFC 261.

P4P. Kamaru Usman: ‘I do believe that right now I’m pound-for-pound, I am the best fighter on the planet’.

Fight. Daniel Cormier only open to fight Jake Paul in MMA: ‘I’m going to rip his face apart’.

Lawsuit. Triller files lawsuit against illegal streamers alleging $100 million in damages from Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren card.

Sure. Nick Diaz attends UFC 261, Dana White will give him a fight: ‘We’ll see how this goes’.

Overturned. Eddie Alvarez disqualification loss at ONE on TNT overturned to no-contest.

Postponed. RIZIN postpones upcoming event citing ‘state of emergency’ in Japan.

Donation. Conor McGregor makes $500,000 donation to Boys and Girls Club in Louisiana

VIDEO STEW

UFC 261 fighters react to fans being back.

UFC’s three African champions.

The worst eye pokes in MMA history.

Masvidal with the fans after the fight.

LISTEN UP

The Co-Main Event. Discussing all the key moments from UFC 261.

Jack Slack. Reviewing all the action at UFC 261.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Recovery.

Filling up that belt.

Nice.

Best part about this is Conor stance will be like, “That left could definitely catch Ngannou.”

Jon Jones and FRM have split, amicably it would appear.

Khamzat Chimaev is back to his old self.

Support.

That’s neat.

Friends?

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Gleison Tibau (34-14) vs. Joao Zeferino (24-9); PFL 2, Apr. 29.

Luke Sanders (13-4) vs. Felipe Colares (9-2); UFC Vegas 24, May 1.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Post a Comment

No comments

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )