Jorge Masvidal doesn’t see a return to 155 pounds unless there is a lucrative opportunity.
Masvidal currently finds himself near the top of the mountain in the UFC’s 170-pound division. “Gamebred” is riding a three-fight winning streak. In that span, he’s finished Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till. He is likely due for a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman this July.
Masvidal Talks Potentially Moving Back Down To Lightweight
Masvidal competed as a lightweight at one point in his pro MMA career. He even received a shot at the Strikeforce 155-pound gold, falling short to Gilbert Melendez via unanimous decision. Taking to his YouTube channel, Masvidal said a return to lightweight would have to be worth his while (via MMAJunkie.com).
“I would just have to be rewarded so mother(expletive) handsomely for me to drop down to ’55 and compete with anybody,” Masvidal said in a video on his YouTube channel. “But I would love to do it because I felt like I never got my fair due shot at 155. I beat a lot of top-class competitors before I came into the UFC at 155; they never gave me a shot to fight a top-10 guy.
“It wasn’t until 170, they gave me top-10 and top-5 guys, so I never got, I felt, my fair due shot at ’55. I beat a lot of good guys when I was down there, in the UFC, as well.”
Masvidal’s stock has never been higher. Just two years after dropping a unanimous decision to Stephen Thompson inside Madison Square Garden, Masvidal defeated Diaz via TKO inside that same arena in the UFC 244 headliner. The card drew the second-biggest gate for a UFC event in New York.
Last year was a huge turning point for Jorge Masvidal as he went from journeyman to UFC contender. The question is, can he become the welterweight champion in 2020?
