Jorge Masvidal och Ben Askren kommer ställas mot varandra i ett toppmöte i welterviktsdivisionen nu inatt under UFC 239, Las Vegas.
Att dom båda inte är bästa vänner har för fansen blivit allmänt känt. Och Masvidal har vid flera intervjuer uttryckt hur mycket han ogillar Askren. Masvidal hade följande att säga i en intervju med MMAJunkie.
“(There are) numerous things. He’s just a pompous (expletive), I can’t stand him. There’s no hate, because I don’t hate nobody, but I just don’t care for the dude, in this life or the next. He’s not my cup of tea, man.”
Askren som är före detta olympisk brottare har använt sin dominanta brottning till att vinna titlar i både Bellator och One Championship. Men när MMAJunkie frågar Masvidal om sin kommande motståndares andra färdigheter inom MMA, så kunde inte Masvidal hitta någon bortsett från att stoppa ansiktet i skrevet på sina motståndare.
“I couldn’t even answer that question, bro. Besides putting his face in somebody’s crotch, another man’s crotch, I don’t know what else he (expletive) does. I don’t even think he can spell ‘punch.’”
Om sin egen plan hur han skall besegra Askren så var svaret självsäkert.
“Beat his ass up, wherever the fight goes. Because if I’m on my back I can still punch, I can still scramble to get back up to my feet. So the fight going on the floor, it’s not over. When I went to the floor with (Demian) Maia it wasn’t over. Maia’s a much better submission individual than this guy will ever be, so (the plan is to) just beat his ass up through and through.”
Vill ha titelchans
Masvidal som är en veteran inom sporten och varit med på många stora galor. Hade följande att säga om all mediauppmärksamhet som tillkommer med åren.
“It’s only been 16 years. (I) definitely appreciate it, because it means my paychecks will be getting significantly bigger, and that’s what I love. I’ve been good (at) fighting for a long time. And I can talk in front of the cameras, it’s just maybe I’m not the hungriest or thirstiest to get in front of the camera and always talk.
“For example, that individual that I’m fighting, he calls reporters and stuff to get interviews. He goes out of his way and he offers lunch and maybe even sexual favors, I don’t know, man. But he does whatever he can to get an interview. And I know these guys, some of them are friends of mine. And they’ll send me texts like: ‘Look at the message that this guy wrote me just to be on my show.’ It shows how pathetic he is, man.”
Om Masvidal besegrar Askren så anser han att endast en titelmatch bör vara aktuell för honom då han redan besegrat den tuffe Darren Till.
“I’m on that surfboard, and that wave is taking me right to the title shot, there’s no other way around it. I thought I should have been fighting for a title after Till. Till’s never been stopped in his career. Who did that in his home town? Me. When nobody wanted to fight the guy, I went and did it. Why didn’t I get the title fight then? Because I didn’t have that huge buzz. But now there’s no denying it.”
Kan tänka sig möta Colby Covington
Om Masvidal har chans att bli mästare så spelar det ingen roll för hans del vem han möter. Hans vän och träningspartner Colby Covington som är rankad tvåa i divisonen har flera gånger blivit lovad en titelchans efter att ha blivit interim mästare under UFC 225, Chicago juni 2018. Enligt Masvidal så har han inga problem att möta vännen Covington i oktagonen.
“If the belt is on the line, it’s going to happen. If the belt’s on the line, it doesn’t matter who has it. I didn’t get into this sport to high-five with no dudes. It’s not my (expletive) thing. I got in here to fight, to win and, when I had kids, the goal was simple. I’m going to use my talents that God gave me, I’m going to develop them better and provide for my kids the best life that I possibly can. So there’s not a human being walking this planet that if they have the title I wouldn’t try to diminish them and finish them.
“Mathematically it sounds like we’re going to end up doing it. Is it somebody I want to punch in the face, knee in the ribs, kick in the neck? No, not really. We’ve spent a lot of time training together, we have a lot of similar interests. We used to like poker a lot, used to train all day and chase women, so it was pretty easy for us to get along. I don’t know. It’s not somebody I want to punch in the face, but like I said, if that belt’s on the line, it don’t matter who it is.”
