McGregor & Masvidal trade jibes over US fighter’s mother
Former two-weight UFC king Conor McGregor has escalated his war of words with rival Jorge Masvidal, calling the two-time welterweight title challenger a 'loser'.
Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Masvidal claimed that McGregor's social media silence in relation to him was proof that 'The Notorious' isn't interested in a fight between the pair.
"Conor doesn’t want the fight," Masvidal said, suggesting that if he did, McGregor would have already gone on a Twitter rant insulting the fighter's mother "or some relative of mine or my nation where I come from."
"He’ll say something like that but he won’t say anything about a fight or a fight date. So the Conor thing, he just wants it... ‘I hope it goes away’... because he really doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t mention [me] or say anything," Masvidal went on.
Finally taking the bait, McGregor scoffed in a now-deleted tweet: "Insult your mom? What a loser you are mate. Me and your mom get along."
Quick to respond to that, Masivdal replied by saying: "Yeah my mom loves you, man. She knows you are about the biggest paycheck for me and a relatively easy fight."
Masvidal agrees with McGregor... kinda 💰 pic.twitter.com/6eIiLUrHSZ
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 29, 2022
That was the end of the exchange for now, but Masvidal additionally goaded McGregor in his original tirade by calling him a "f****** p****" and questioning his dedication and fighting spirit.
"I think the only thing that makes him want to get out of bed is cocaine," Masvidal teased.
"That’s OK, every man has a free will. You do whatever you want. But don’t say you’re a fighter and don’t take cheap shots at me, especially the things that he’s been saying, talking about my legal problems and this and that," Masvidal stressed, in reference to the case stemming from him hitting former rival Colby Covington outside a Miami steakhouse.
"You’re a f****** p****. We could do it man-to-man in the cage just once and for all, and get paid a handsome reward while doing it. So if this individual doesn’t want to do it, [it is because] he knows what’s going to happen," Masvidal claimed.
Pushing for his 'red panty night' as McGregor calls paydays for his foes, Masvidal believes that a showdown between the two loudmouths might be the "biggest pay-per-view fight" in UFC history.
"I think we’d shatter all numbers, all previous records," Masvidal suggested, though he is wary of a potential fight not being made in 2022 due to his legal woes that see him facing charges aggravated battery and criminal mischief for hitting Covington.
While Masvidal has not been seen in the octagon since losing a decision to Covington at UFC 272, McGregor's lay-off has been even longer and stretches back to July last year when he was forced to retire against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 due to a horrific leg break.
McGregor has fueled talk that he could face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing rematch, but UFC president Dana White poured cold water on that prospect while also guaranteeing McGregor's comeback will come in the octagon.
"Not me. I’m not talking about that," White, absent from supposed negotiations, confirmed when appearing on The Jim Rome Show on Monday.
"It’ll be in the cage," White outlined more specifically, in relation to where McGregor's next bout will take place. "Conor is looking to come back the end of this year, early next year."
With McGregor entertaining talk of challenging current champion Kamaru Usman to possibly come a champion in an unprecedented third weight class, weathered Masvidal would provide McGregor with the perfect introduction to the 170lbs division.
Simultaneously, however, McGregor has voiced an interest in trying to reclaim the now-vacant lightweight strap previously owned by Charles Oliveira before the Brazilian was stripped on the scales before beating Justin Gaethje.
