Jorge Masvidal is not interested in opponents outside the welterweight top-5
Last weekend, in the co-main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Denver, Colorado, Strikeforce veteran Jorge Masvidal surprised with a crushing, second-round knockout of streaking welterweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The win stands out as one of the biggest of his long career, if not the biggest thus far.
With this career changing win in the rear-view, Masvidal now looks ahead to the kind of fight that will push him the rest of the way toward a welterweight title shot. With this in mind, the new welterweight contender has made no secret of the fact that he wants an opponent inside the division’s top-5 – perhaps streaking grappling specialist Demian Maia.
According to a Tuesday afternoon Tweet, however, the UFC has offered the veteran fights outside this elite section of the welterweight division – and he’s not interested. He expressed his disinterest with a clip from the 1983 hit Scarface, alongside the caption: When [Dana White] or [Sean Shelby] call me with a fight outside the top 5. See this clever Tweet from Masvidal below.
When @danawhite Or @seanshelby call me with a fight outside the top 5 @ufc #easymoney pic.twitter.com/LSHV8RBSCz
— BMF.eth (@GamebredFighter) January 31, 2017
The UFC welterweight top-5 is currently populated by Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Demian Maia, and Carlos Condit. With Woodley and Wonderboy booked to rematch for the title at UFC 209, and Condit contemplating retirement, Masvidal’s best options seem to be Lawler and Maia. Lawler, of course, is taking a brief break after a thunderous knockout loss to Woodley, while Maia seems content to wait for a shot at the winner of the Woodley-Wonderboy rematch. So, it remains to be seen if either man takes this fight. Masvidal, evidently, is hoping one of them does.
@demianmaia I'd hate to jump you for next in line and you start to develop ill will towards me. Take the fight #easymoney #200k @danawhite
— BMF.eth (@GamebredFighter) February 1, 2017
With his defeat of Cowboy, Masvidal moved onto a three-fight win-streak, as he has also recently defeated Ross Pearson and Jake Ellenberger. The American Top Team staple is now 32-11 overall.
Who do you want to see Jorge Masvidal take on next? Make your voice heard in the comments section, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/1/2017.
