Jorge Masvidal claims an offer was made to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 249 but the price wasn’t right.
It all comes out in the wash, however, as UFC 249 will not be taking place on April 18. The UFC hoped to run the event inside the Tachi Palace Casino Resort in California. After a call from the higher-ups at Disney and ESPN, UFC president Dana White called a halt to the event. It has also been reported that the state of California played a significant role in the postponement of UFC 249.
Jorge Masvidal Says Deal Wasn’t Right For UFC 249 Bout
Speaking to BT Sport, Masvidal revealed that a deal was on the table for a welterweight title bout against champion Usman. The problem for “Gamebred” was that it simply wasn’t in the UFC’s budget under unprecedented circumstances to match his asking price (h/t BJPenn.com).
“There was a deal on the table, but when the full deal and the whole extent of it got brought through and how it was going to play out, the budget really wasn’t there in a way for what we were asking. The price tag that I put out there, they didn’t wanna pay. This other guy, who knows if he was in or not, but my price wasn’t met,” Jorge Masvidal said to BT Sport. “And for the risk-to-reward factor, I wanted to get compensated and the compensation wasn’t really there. We weren’t too far off either, we can make it work in the future for a fact. I think in July, I’ll be beheading this guy for the whole world to see.”
Masvidal and Usman had gone back-and-forth with accusations of ducking before UFC 249 was ultimately canceled. Many believe Masvidal is next in line for a shot at Usman’s 170-pound gold. UFC boss Dana White even mentioned the possibility of Masvidal vs. Usman for International Fight Week in July. With UFC events postponed indefinitely, it’ll be interesting to see when these two will meet.