Jorge Masvidal has confirmed he wants to fight Conor McGregor next, and believes it would be a bigger fight than a title bout with Kamaru Usman.
The ‘BMF’ titleholder has long expressed his interest in a fight with ‘Notorious’, who will make his UFC return on January 18 against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
McGregor will headline UFC 246 when he takes on Cowboy in his first fight since a devastating submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
Speculation
And Masvidal has said that should McGregor’s comeback be a succesful one, he’s looking to book a fight with the Irish superstar.
The 35-year-old’s last fight was a TKO victory against Nate Diaz in November 2019, and saw Gamebred become the UFC’s first ‘BMF’ titleholder.
Since the fight, Masvidal has made a number of media appearances and has raised speculation about his next fight.
And there are two names which have come up repeatedly.
One is McGregor, who is looking to turn over a new leaf following his tumultuous past couple of years.
The second is UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, a clash which UFC president Dana White has named as his preferred showdown.
‘Formula for Success’
But Masvidal claims he’s veering towards a clash with the controversial Dubliner over a welterweight title shot.
Responding to White’s comments, Masvidal said (via MMA Junkie): “I won’t say it’s not the right move,”
“Usman is a fight.”
“Conor is obviously flirting with the idea of fighting me.”
“If me and Conor go in the octagon, what happens?”
“It’s one of the biggest fights in history, just by math (with) what Conor’s been doing and the last couple fights I’ve had.”
“The engagements and pay-per-views broke records with ESPN.”
“Obviously it’s a formula for success.”
Gamebred pointed out that in the short-term, the prize for a McGregor fight is more appealing than the the welterweight title, which he can always challenge for in the future.
He also reiterated that if McGregor’s comeback isn’t a triumphant one, he’ll happily take on Usman instead.
“Someone will always have the belt at 170 pounds,” Masvidal said.
“It doesn’t really matter if it’s Kamaru or not.
“Conor is a bigger fight.”
“If Conor doesn’t do his job or Conor doesn’t want to fight after his fight (with Cerrone), we’re going to take Usman’s head off.”
Hefty Payday
Notorious recently announced a three-fight plan for 2020.
But the names in the hat don’t include the ‘BMF’, with the Irishman instead naming a Khabib rematch and a bout Justin Gaethje as his preferred fights.
However, a clash with Masvidal would bring a magnitude of attention and a hefty payday for the former champion.
And with McGregor recently revealing his plans to become a billionaire, another big money fight will surely turn his head.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor)