UFC icon Jorge Masvidal says he no longer enjoyed working with Nate Diaz.
“Gambled” defeated Diaz in MMA five years ago to win the symbolic BMF (Baddest motherf***er) belt at UFC 244.
Now they are ready to return to the boxing ring for ten rounds in a light heavyweight (175 lbs) fight.
This fight was rumored until early last year, but it took until March for it to be officially announced.
Masvidal insists the delay was because Diaz was a “diva” in negotiations.
“At one point, because Vegas was sold out, a lot of seats were booked, New York was a strong possibility and he was like, ‘I won’t fight if it’s New York.’ I’m not going to fight,” he told MMA Hour on Monday.
“I was like, ‘What the fuck? What’s the problem? This is boxing. This was MMA. [where] you got your ass kicked. But I understand. GOOD’.
“Then another diva moment, he said he wouldn’t fight either if the fight took place in Miami.
“‘I don’t fight if it’s in Miami.’ OK, cool. “Well, last time I had a bad experience with my boxing match in Texas, so I’m not fighting in Texas.”
“What the hell?! To book a venue of this magnitude, it’s not like it can happen in a week or a weekend.
“It happens months in advance. … So all these problems and it’s like, man, I’m just trying to fight.
“What are you trying to do? It could have been April in a different location, but this guy wasn’t trying to do it, so it was very diva.”
Both fighters have previously boxed professionally once.
Masvidal beat American journeyman Joseph Benjamin (4-26-2) in 2005, eight years before joining the UFC.
Meanwhile, Diaz lost to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul last year in a one-sided beating at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
UFC icon Jorge Masvidal says he no longer enjoyed working with Nate Diaz.
“Gambled” defeated Diaz in MMA five years ago to win the symbolic BMF (Baddest motherf***er) belt at UFC 244.
Now they are ready to return to the boxing ring for ten rounds in a light heavyweight (175 lbs) fight.
This fight was rumored until early last year, but it took until March for it to be officially announced.
Masvidal insists the delay was because Diaz was a “diva” in negotiations.
“At one point, because Vegas was sold out, a lot of seats were booked, New York was a strong possibility and he was like, ‘I won’t fight if it’s New York.’ I’m not going to fight,” he told MMA Hour on Monday.
“I was like, ‘What the fuck? What’s the problem? This is boxing. This was MMA. [where] you got your ass kicked. But I understand. GOOD’.
“Then another diva moment, he said he wouldn’t fight either if the fight took place in Miami.
“‘I don’t fight if it’s in Miami.’ OK, cool. “Well, last time I had a bad experience with my boxing match in Texas, so I’m not fighting in Texas.”
“What the hell?! To book a venue of this magnitude, it’s not like it can happen in a week or a weekend.
“It happens months in advance. … So all these problems and it’s like, man, I’m just trying to fight.
“What are you trying to do? It could have been April in a different location, but this guy wasn’t trying to do it, so it was very diva.”
Both fighters have previously boxed professionally once.
Masvidal beat American journeyman Joseph Benjamin (4-26-2) in 2005, eight years before joining the UFC.
Meanwhile, Diaz lost to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul last year in a one-sided beating at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.