Jorge Masvidal: Jake Paul only makes offers for fights to make headlines – he did it with me

UFC legend Jorge Masvidal has claimed Jake Paul, who is in talks over a bout against Anthony Joshua, only makes offers for fights to make headlines – and slammed the offer Paul made him.

Masvidal has also slammed Leon Edwards for being ‘worried’ about him, and tipped Ilia Topuria to beat Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford in a crossover fight in the boxing ring.

Speaking to CasinoHawks, Jorge Masvidal said:

Jake Paul only makes offers for fights to make headlines – he did it with me

Leon Edwards is worried about me – but I’m not going to bully him

Ilia Topuria could have his hand raised against Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford

We need Francis Ngannou, Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones all fighting each other

Darren Till rocks Luke Rockhold – but I give Luke the edge in MMA

Jorge Masvidal: Jake Paul only makes offers for fights to make headlines – he did it with me, Leon Edwards is worried about me – but I’m not going to bully him, Ilia Topuria could beat Canelo or Crawford

Jake Paul only makes offers for fights to make headlines – he did it with me

“Jake Paul had at one point offered to fight me in the PFL, which was some straight bull****, right? Because it was MMA, he was never gonna do that. But the numbers were also a pay cut.

“Why am I gonna take pay cuts? It’s not gonna happen. I work very hard. And my reputation speaks for itself.

“It was just Jake getting headlines and stuff like that, because he’ll never fight anybody in MMA, especially a real fighter.

“So it was just headlines that he was grabbing.”

Leon Edwards is worried about me – but I’m not going to bully him

“Leon Edwards needs to fight me. That’s what he should do. I should fight Leon, boom, and seal that chapter. I’m still interested in that. If Leon’s interested in that we can make that happen tomorrow. 

“I don’t think Leon wants it for some reason. He’s a little worried. A little gun-shy. He knows that we’re gonna stand there and bang. And it’s not gonna work out well for him and he cannot outwrestle me. 

“So we’re gonna have to just sit there and trade and that’s not a good thing for him, if he loses to another stand-up guy. But I’m not in the rankings. I’m the biggest name in the whole welterweight division, but I’m not in the rankings right now.

“So he could always say, ‘I want to fight somebody ranked. Go get a fight, then I’ll fight you.’ But it doesn’t work like that, brother. You want this s*** or not? Just fight, motherf*****.

“You’re a fighter, I’m a fighter. We have our history. You say all these things about me, this and that, I don’t really care for Leon, in a good or bad way. I don’t wish him bad or anything like that.

“I have respect for him as well. But he’s the one that has a lot of animosity toward me, I wonder why? ‘You want to do it? I’m f****** here.’ And if you don’t, I get it. I’m not gonna be a bully.

“I’ll move on to somebody else. I’ll fight him anywhere, in his backyard, open the gate, set up a little Octagon there, I’ll handle business. Fighting at the soccer stadium, in Australia, on Mars, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Ilia Topuria could have his hand raised against Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford

“Ilia Topuria has more than the necessary skills. It just depends who he’s fighting. If he’s fighting Canelo, that’s a big ask. Canelo is massive compared to him. Not that much taller, maybe three inches, but it’s still a hell of a battle. Crawford, same thing, those are huge fights. But I’d pay top dollar to see them.

“It’s always going to be a disadvantage for us crossing into boxing. The endurance, the style, everything, they’ve done it more than we have. But if there’s a guy who can represent us right now and get his hand raised in victory it’s my boy Ilia, he could shock some people. 

“He’s ten times the boxer Conor McGregor ever was. He’s way tighter, hits the body, hits the head, moves his head well. I think he’d have a lot of success in boxing.

“I’ve known Ilia for a while, since he first got into the UFC. We trained a lot together, and I felt what he brought to the table. Even back then I was saying, ‘This guy’s going to be champion.’ 

“He’s got gifts that make it hard for others to keep up. And I’m not just some guy saying that, this is coming from someone who fought professionally for over 20 years.

“He’s got raw power, good strength, and he’s no slouch on the ground or in wrestling either. It’s not easy to take him down or hold him there. He’s very, very well-rounded. It’s the dog he’s got in him. 

“We haven’t really seen it yet, but if he ever has to dig deep and come from behind, he’ll bite down on that mouthpiece and choose death over losing. He’ll keep pushing and pushing. 

“I don’t think we’ve really seen it yet, maybe one fight where he had to push through and ended up knocking the guy out – but he’s got some serious dog in him.”

We need Francis Ngannou, Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones all fighting each other

“In all his craziness and madness, Dana is a very reasonable man. A lot of common sense runs through that guy, and common sense means dollars. And if it makes enough dollars, and Ngannou comes correct, I think they’ll make that fight happen. 

“If they thought that, ‘Hey, this fight’s gonna produce, it’s gonna do well,’ why not. That’s another thing, we have maybe the guy that’s number one in the world truly, Ngannou, fighting on a side quest; boxing, doing this and that. I want to see this guy in MMA. 

“I truly think, no matter what, this guy’s one of the best heavyweights in the world. Period. He might have been one of the best ones walking around, but we won’t get to see it because he’s not where he should be right now. 

“So I would love to see Ngannou in the UFC. Aspinall in the UFC. Jon Jones in the UFC. And all of them are competing against each other.”

Darren Till rocks Luke Rockhold – but I give Luke the edge in MMA

“I think right now, mind to mind, mental psyche to mental psyche, I think Till rocks him. He closes him out.

“Till has a good size, carries a lot of weight, and punch and speed. I think he’s a little better boxer than Luke. Now, in MMA, it would have been a very different question. 

“I think Luke has phenomenal groundwork, decent takedowns, and good kicks. But in straight boxing, I’m gonna give Till a good advantage.”

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.

Continue Reading