Jorge Masvidal Would Fight Khabib, Explains Why He Likes His Style Compared To Other Grapplers
Jorge Masvidal is more than ready to return to the lightweight division to face Khabib Nurmagomedov — provided the UFC pay him his worth.
Masvidal is currently embroiled in a pay dispute with the UFC and along with Jon Jones, has been calling for the promotion to compensate its fighters more accordingly.
As a result, “Gamebred” was skipped over for a welterweight title shot with Gilbert Burns getting the nod to face Kamaru Usman next. That said, Masvidal is still hoping to fight this year if the UFC go along with his wishes.
The same goes for a potential move back down to lightweight to face the current 155-pound king Nurmagomedov.
“If they pay me what I’m worth? To go down to 155? A hundred percent,” Masvidal said in a recent video on his YouTube channel. “I like what Khabib does. I like that he’s undefeated, he’s one of the best lightweights at the weight currently.
“Just that obstacle alone would be enough for me to consider dropping that weight. But then, the UFC would have to be working for it.”
Masvidal A Fan Of Grappling Contrary To Popular Opinion
Masvidal has spoken in the past of only returning to lightweight for a big fight such as against Nurmagomedov.
Some may be confused as to why Masvidal rates “The Eagle” especially given his comments on other wrestlers and grapplers such as Usman and Ben Askren. But for Masvidal, there is one big difference when it comes to Nurmagomedov’s fighting style.
“Yeah, I respect Khabib. He’s a competitor, he’s a hell of a competitor,” Masvidal explained. “I like what he brings to the table. I like his attitude too — he doesn’t get caught up in trying to promote the fight. If he doesn’t like the guy, he doesn’t like the guy. If he gets along with the guy, he doesn’t force it, trying to sell people like ‘I’m going to kill this guy because I hate him so much,’ and do all that talking sh*t which I very much like and commend him for that.
“And I like his fighting style because he’s trying to finish people. People get it confused that I don’t like grappling and that’s bullsh*t. What I don’t like is blatant stalling or trying not to fight. Khabib’s trying to punch people in the face or choke them out so I enjoy it.”
Would you like to see these two fight? And how would it play out?
