Whatever little interest Jorge Masvidal had in fighting Jake Paul is now gone.
“Gamebred” was among the many MMA names Paul had called out to face in a boxing match. It never came to fruition — given that Masvidal is still contracted to the UFC — and the YouTuber-turned-boxer went on to fight and defeat Anderson Silva last year.
Paul's unbeaten record, however, came to an end in February when he was outpointed by Tommy Fury, notably the first real boxer that he had faced.
And while Paul is eager to continue boxing, he won't be doing it against Masvidal now that he's no longer undefeated.
“If he would have stayed undefeated and all of a sudden would have became an actual household name, I would have loved to burst that bubble,” Masvidal told Sporting News (via MMA Fighting). “I would have broke right through his f*****g face because at the end of the day, when he was a Disney princess living that life, I was already earning my stripes and competing. From the backyards, all the way to headlining shows in Miami.
“This dude and me is more just like him to boost his name up and stuff like that. Especially now that I got a fight coming up coincidentally he wants to call me out. This guy sees me and he runs from me.”
Masvidal takes on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287 this weekend. The BMF champion has already acknowledged it could be his last fight if he were to lose his fourth outing in a row, potentially opening the door to a UFC exit.
Paul, meanwhile, is set to make his MMA debut for the PFL sometime in 2023. Is there a scenario where they collide in the cage? Not on Masvidal's watch, especially as he doesn't view Paul as a draw.
“In MMA, that’s not gonna happen ever,” Masvidal said. “It doesn’t matter what they offer that individual. He’s not a draw, I’ll be honest with you. It’s proven. I’m in the promoter business. If influencers were selling pay-per-views like that, I would book these influencers. They don’t sell. His biggest draw was against I don’t know, Woodley or something, and got 80,000 buys.
“What am I doing fighting this guy? Two things are why I signed up for this sport: to fight the best in the world or to make the most money possible. He doesn’t fit either of those criterias. So, would I see Jake Paul right now and allegedly just beat his ass? Yeah, I would. But in a prize-fighting ring? It doesn’t really serve me a purpose because I’m a prize fighter, and he doesn’t bring a prize in any way shape or form.”
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