Jorge Masvidal targets Nick Diaz, Conor McGregor next rather than Usman vs. Covington winner

Jorge Masvidal prefers to get paid first and then he’ll worry about having a shiny UFC belt wrapped around his waist.

In the wake of his third-round TKO against Nate Diaz to win the inaugural “baddest motherf*cker” in the game title at UFC 244, Masvidal is sitting on top of the world with a host of potential fights to interest him when he returns in 2020.

On paper, the three wins he earned in 2019—a pair of knockouts against Darren Till and Ben Askren as well as the TKO in the Diaz fight— have made him a massive draw as well as potentially the No. 1 contender in the welterweight division.

For what it’s worth, Masvidal is more interested in the money fights rather than sitting around and waiting to face the winner of the upcoming UFC 245 main event between reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former interim champ Colby Covington.

“They’re fighting for the spot to fight me,” Masvidal told Yahoo Sports when asked about Usman and Covington. “I’m the ticket at 170 pounds. I’m going to go and get the biggest, best and toughest fights.

“So it’s looking like we might fight Nick Diaz next, it’s looking like it might be Conor McGregor, obviously those fights come first because of the paycheck and everything it brings while these guys are settling the dust between the hugging championships.”

While it’s entirely possible that the UFC pushes for Masvidal to face the winner of Usman vs. Covington, he sees Diaz and McGregor as the two biggest fights in the world for him right now.

Diaz comes along with some personal baggage after Masvidal busted up his younger brother for the better part of 15 minutes to claim the “BMF” championship. The elder Diaz has already expressed interest in the fight as he looks to return from his self-imposed exodus from the sport after last competing back in 2015.

“If he’s ever been motivated for a fight, I think it’s going to be this one,” Masvidal said about Diaz. “I think whatever he’s been doing in the past, he’ll cut it and he’ll get into his ways of fighting. Knowing the Diaz brothers and how much they love and respect each other, I know that guy’s going to come with everything he has.

“That hypes me up to want to fight. Like let’s f*cking do this cause you’re not taking nothing what I’ve got. You’re knocking at my front door and you ain’t getting in here. I’m going to stop you right where you stand. That’s how I feel.”

Funny enough, the UFC actually tried to book Diaz against Masvidal previously but the fight didn’t come together. Now it appears Diaz is willing to return in order to avenge his baby brother’s defeat and Masvidal is more than ready to accept.

“If he’s serious about it, he signs the paperwork and the UFC matches my handsome fees, we’re in there, we’re here to take souls,” Masvidal said.

As far as McGregor goes, Masvidal has been less interested in the wake of his win over Diaz because it seemed like the Irish superstar didn’t want anything to do with him.

“I don’t want to sound like a bully either because since I won the Nate fight, he hasn’t said a peep,” Masvidal said when addressing McGregor. “If that guy doesn’t want to fight, I’m not bothering nobody. I’m not going to be a bully.”

Of course Masvidal’s comments came days before McGregor’s return was announced for UFC 246 in January when he faces Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event.

McGregor’s first fight back in 15 months will also come at welterweight, which only furthers speculation that he’s potentially looking at Masvidal as a future opponent should he get through Cerrone in January.

There may be a lot of interest in the fight but Masvidal still isn’t convinced that the UFC will let him anywhere near their most lucrative superstar.

“Dana [White] be having a lot of ideas all on his own. I don’t know what got him to change but the truth is that boy’s going to get hurt if they lock him in there with me,” Masvidal said.

“I’m in like segregated population. It’s not the type of guy they allow me to play with.”