07 April 2023 , 08:30
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Jorge Masvidal has cast fresh doubt on Conor McGregor accepting a future UFC fight at 170lb.
McGregor has finally announced he will return to UFC action this year against Michael Chandler as part of the promotion's latest series of The Ultimate Fighter which the pair have already filmed. The Irishman has faced an arduous spell outside of the cage after breaking his leg, which has seen him pile on the pounds to prepare for his return.
It was announced by both McGregor and Chandler that his return fight will likely be held at 170lb as the UFC superstar eyes a new run in another weight class. This appeared to open the door to a potential contest with Masvidal who has regularly called out his fellow star insisting that a fight would generate huge numbers.
However despite his additional weight, Masvidal does not yet believe McGregor will be back at 170lb despite his previous win against Donald Cerrone coming at that weight. He said at the UFC 287 media day: “Oh definitely. I mean, unless Conor’s b******s came to 170, but that midget ain’t coming up to fight me. It goes without saying, me and Leon sell pay-per-views. Leon (Edwards) and (Kamaru) Usman, what did that do?"
McGregor is considered the biggest pay-per-view draw in the promotion given he has been involved in six of the ten leading selling events in UFC history. A showdown between himself and Masvidal would likely generate huge interest given their status on the roster, and their similar recent form.
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Despite Masvidal's claims, it is widely expected that McGregor is set to compete at 170lb particularly given he stated his own ambitions to return to the pinnacle and challenge champion Edwards. UFC president Dana White has frequently suggested there is too big of a size difference to make a fight between Masvidal and McGregor.
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Jorge Masvidal doubts a UFC fight with Conor McGregor will happen (AP)And Masvidal's agent Malik Kawa, who has reached out to McGregor on numerous occasions, has claimed that McGregor has failed to respond to any fight offers. "Every time McGregor has ever tweeted at Jorge I always pick up the phone," Kawa told the MMA Hour previously. "I call and say 'Hey Conor what's good do you want that fight?'. They say yeah he doesn't want that fight and they say it every single time and it never fails.
"Listen I don't know if that is real or not but I know that they have said they have tried to make that fight but Conor won't take it. You hear Dana saying that Masvidal is too big for him and all that kind of stuff, and that is the end of that story. So if they want to make that fight our end would accept that fight and we are all in."