Jorge Masvidal details how he dodged getting "taken advantage of" by the UFC with massive $5M deal

UFC star Jorge Masvidal opened up about the negotiation tactics that secured him a massive $5 million payday for a last-minute fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251.

Masvidal initially clashed with the UFC over a pay-per-view (PPV) share during negotiations for a planned fight. This disagreement stalled negotiations. However, with just six days left before the UFC 251 event, originally scheduled opponent Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19, leaving the organization scrambling for a replacement.

Masvidal stepped in but only on the condition that his previous financial demands were met. The UFC, with limited options, agreed to his terms, and 'Gamebred' walked away with a career-high payday. While Masvidal ultimately lost the fight, the financial gain outweighed the sting of defeat.

In a recent interview with VLADTV, the former 'BMF' champ recounted his thought process:

“I definitely was very proud of myself. Once those checks hit, once the bank account, the money started flowing in and you know, if I hadn’t struck that deal with the UFC, because we ended up selling like 1.3 million pay-per-view.

"If I hadn’t struck that deal, I would have got nowhere near 5 million. I would have sold the same amount and got nowhere near 5 million. And I would have just felt like I got taken advantage of it. So part of me, the business side of me, I mean the prize side of the fight was very much satisfied.”

Check out Jorge Masvidal's interview below (4:59):

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Jorge Masvidal predicts brutal knockout for Nate Diaz in upcoming boxing match

Jorge Masvidal is looking for a decisive finish when he steps into the boxing ring against Nate Diaz on June 1st at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

This highly anticipated bout serves as a rematch of their 2019 UFC clash that saw Masvidal claim the 'BMF' title via doctor's stoppage TKO. This time around, Masvidal has a clear vision of how he wants the fight to end. When pressed for a prediction, ‘Gambred’ said:

“Knock him dead. I want no questions or nothing. I don’t want no man intervening on what I got to do. I have to kill the man, and that’s why I got these bad boys right here.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Check out Jorge Masvidal's response below (1:56):