Jorge Masvidal Asks Whether The UFC Will Give Fans What They Want: Scrap With Nate Diaz

There was no shortage of big storylines that emerged from UFC 241, and one of the biggest, was the revelation that Nate Diaz wants to fight Jorge Masvidal. The latter has made it crystal clear that he’s on board, but he’s also concerned that the UFC could play hardball and the fight will get punted.

Masvidal’s next fight

Prior to UFC 241, most of the talk regarding Masvidal’s next bout was tied to a welterweight title shot or Conor McGregor. Since Masvidal bombed out Ben Askren at UFC 239 last month, the rugged vet had said he’d wait for a title shot. Masvidal also reported, however, that if that doesn’t happen, he’d be more than happy to throw hands with McGregor.

Diaz enters the picture

Well, as noted above, after Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis last weekend, he called for a fight with Masvidal. Since then, “Gamebred” has relayed that he’s definitely interested in facing the Stockton star. After all, in theory, it would deliver him a massive payday, as it’s a fight that already has the masses buzzing.

But, that assumes the UFC would be willing to pay up, in order to make the fight a reality. Recently Masvidal spoke with the media, and he had this to say about that very subject (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I mean, not just from the point that we could both make money – because I think I’m as popular as I’ve ever been and same with Nate, so it just would make sense on the financial side. But on the side of being a fan, who doesn’t want to see these two dogs get locked up in the cage and go?” Masvidal said. “Which one’s more dog at the end of the day? Let’s find out. … Let’s just find out who is the biggest dog in the division.”

“Let’s see how the UFC plays. Is it gonna play hard ball, or are they gonna give into what the fans (expletive) want?” Masvidal said. “Are they gonna listen to the fans or not? If the fight doesn’t get made, it’s not because I don’t want it, or Nate doesn’t want it. It’s because we’re not getting what we want. It’s sad to say. That’d be the only way it doesn’t go down.”

Yup. Masvidal has a point. While Diaz – Masvidal seems like a no brainer, things have appeared to change somewhat, in how the UFC stages big fights. The company is no longer headlining pay-per-view cards with non-title fights. We also don’t know how the promotion is compensating fighters for PPV bouts, on account of its new deal with ESPN.

Here’s hoping, however, that all this gets worked out, and we get to see Diaz – Masvidal sooner than later.