TGIFighting: Jorge Masvidal Looks Toward Greener Pastures After Usman Losses
Welcome back to TGIFighting, where we talk to top fighters, preview the weekend's combat sports action and make crotchety observations about the combat sports news of the day. Ready? Let's proceed.
The BMF Is Looking for BM
I meant "big money." Please take your head out of the commode.
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BMF belt-holder Jorge Masvidal (35-15) will never be duplicated. Now the Miami native appears to be leveraging his brand to land "fun" fights with splashy paydays. This week, he jumped into a quiet media cycle (intentionally?) to make a few callouts, and let's just say neither one would get him to the title shot.
First, there was Jake Paul (4-0) and a matchup in boxing land. There was also a bout mentioned with a fellow icon in Nick Diaz (26-9, 2 NC). As you may recall, Diaz is reentering the cage after six-plus years to face Robbie Lawler (28-15, 1 NC) on September 25 at UFC 266.
Masvidal appeared to pick two matchups that are as winnable as they are lucrative. Gamebred's boxing is levels above that of Tyron Woodley (19-7-1 MMA, 0-1 boxing) and the god-awful Ben Askren (19-2 1 NC MMA, 0-1 boxing), Paul's two MMA crossover victims. That probably means the fight has little chance of happening, but at least Masvidal's on the record, so we'll always have that.
As for Diaz—and we can get more into him as UFC 266 approaches—he's 38 years old, with his last fight a loss to then-39-year-old Anderson Silva (34-11, 1 NC), which later became a no-contest after Silva and Diaz both failed drug tests. And yet, Diaz, who gives maybe the best MMA quotes ever, remains wildly popular, with this reclusiveness only adding to the mystique.
But in a rare interview last year, Diaz, to put it charitably, was not his vintage self. There's certainly an air of concern for Diaz's brain health and MMA mileage as UFC 266 approaches.
But let's bring this back to Masvidal. It seems he may have read the writing on the walls of the UFC welterweight division. After champ Kamaru Usman (19-1) beat Masvidal twice, and with neither one being competitive, and with the second beating being worse than the first, it seems Masvidal's fixing his gaze away from the division's top fighters—many of whom are killers and few of whom are bona fide names.
Better to strap that BMF belt around your waist and put some zeroes behind your name.
I don't blame the guy one bit. Someone get this man a three-piece and a soda.
Trump to Be Guest Boxing Commentator
This Saturday, former United States President Donald Trump will serve as a guest commentator for a bout between 58-year-old former boxing champ Evander Holyfield (44-10-2) and 44-year-old former UFC champ Vitor Belfort (26-14, 1 NC MMA, 1-0 boxing).
Trump has a longstanding relationship with combat sports. To cite just two examples, in the early 2000s, when the UFC struggled to find receptive venues, Trump opened the doors of Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for two events. In 2016, UFC President Dana White spoke about Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention, where Trump was formally nominated as the Republican candidate for president.
TMZ reported that Trump is telling friends he'll make "obscene" amounts of money for Saturday's commentary gig, which is being put on by Triller, the media company that first brought you the Jake Paul phenomenon.
Saturday also marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Historically, many people and presidents use the day for somber reflection, but maybe paid boxing commentary contains a certain, what's the phrasing I want here, enterprising toxicality? Whatever (throws note cards in the air). I report; you decide.
Finally—a decision on the Tyron Woodley tattoo!
This is the news I've been waiting for. I mean, you toss in bed, you turn, you try to put it out of your mind, but nothing works! When will Tyron Woodley get his "I Love Jake Paul" tattoo?
There's good news and bad news here, so please sit down. First, the news is in. Second, Woodley will not be getting the tattoo.
To bring you up to speed on this drama for the ages, Woodley and Paul, who I appear to cover quite a bit in this space, made a bet before their bout that the loser would get "I Love (Insert Winner's Name)" tattooed on themselves after the fight. But since Paul's win, there had been agonizingly little news about it. We needed answers, and, I don't know, they just weren't coming!
News came earlier this week that Woodley was waiting on some "paperwork" before getting it. After sifting through the tea leaves, it became clear Woodley was tying the tattoo to a rematch, as he told The MMA Hour he won't get the tattoo until Paul grants another bout. Well, Woodley didn't get one. So apparently, there's your answer. Of course a rematch wasn't part of the original bet, which Woodley shook on in front of everybody, but still.
It goes without saying that this will take some time to process. Will soul-searching be necessary? Yes. In the meantime, the highlight of all this? Paul's tattoo guidelines for Woodley. What a shame these won't be put to use. Reconsider, Tyron! You can still be the hero of this saga.
Former UFC Heavyweight Contender Speaks Out Against Higher Fighter Pay
UFC fighter pay, which is notoriously low compared with that of other sports, was in the news this week when White lashed out at the "scumbags" in the MMA media who question the company's compensation policies.
But that's not news, at least not in this space. The real news is that Travis Browne (18-7-1), a once-prominent heavyweight on whose podcast White made the comments, also defended the status quo by saying that fighters who wanted more pay were "whiny little b---hes."
I don't understand the upside to this comment. Why is Browne so opposed to his fellow fighters wanting more money? It's not like they're all driving around in Lamborghinis. We know they aren't. In fact, it's well-known that many rank-and-file fighters need second jobs. What's wrong with the idea that they deserve a greater share of the profits from a company they non-metaphorically fuel with their blood?
Oh, and one interesting little factoid about Browne: He's married to Ronda Rousey (12-2), the former MMA phenomenon, pro wrestler and Twizzlers spokesperson. According to Celebrity Net Worth's estimates, Rousey is worth about $13 million. Excuse me while I sip this tea.
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