Jorge Masvidal issued a brutal message to UFC mega star Conor McGregor after seeing off Nate Diaz in contentious circumstances at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Though Conor has been inactive in UFC competition since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov last October by way of fourth round submission, his star power in the world of mixed martial arts shows no power of waning.
A bar landlord pours Conor McGregor's whisky down the toilet in protest of his recent actions:And in an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani back in September, the Irish fighter was bullish when the question of who he'd like to fight next arose. He told Helwani;
"If you're asking me who, whoever, if it's -- if Dustin goes in and does it, Dustin. If Nate, Nate. If Jorge, Jorge. I don't know. ... I don't even know Jorge that well. I've seen the last two, and I saw the Al Iaquinta bout. But I mean anyone: Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Holloway rematch, Jose Aldo rematch. There's so many belts for me Ariel, so many.
"And in reality, it does not matter who. It's just about me getting back in, and being who I am -- not a shell of myself, not half-committed."
As is customary when it comes to the UFC, a high profile win in an attainable weight class sees the victorious fighter peppered with questions about a potential McGregor clash, but when Masvidal was asked about a possible bout with the Crumlin-born fighter, he showed nothing but disdain, telling reporters;
“I’ll f*ck that little guy up. I get it why people want to see him hurt for the stunts he’s been pulling. You see he punches old people in the face because those are fights he could win.”
Credit: 2357Moreover, Masvidal has previously claimed that UFC President Dana White has told him that the McGregor fight is not a matchup the company would be pursuing;
“The man right here said I’m too much man for that dude, so don’t bring that dude up in my interviews any more.
“He already said it himself so that fight is not available,” he said.
As for Conor, his next opponent remains unclear, though it looks likely to be one of Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone or Justin Gaethje. Meanwhile, the Irish fighter has announced the date of his comeback bout himself, telling fans he will return on January 18 in Las Vegas.