Jorge Masvidal is now the undisputed Baddest Motherfucker (BMF) of the UFC. With the newly-minted BMF belt on the line at UFC 244, Masvidal scored a convincing TKO win over Nate Diaz.
The ending was not without controversy, though. The cageside doctor stopped the fight after the third round due to a cut over Diaz’s right eye. While no one will debate that Masvidal was winning the fight, many were also eager to see how the durable Diaz would perform in the championship rounds, with the BJJ savant never more than a stray arm away from winning by submission.
Immediately after the bout, online sportsbooks posted odds on a potential rematch. Masvidal was installed as a massive -300 favorite, a significant change from the -145 odds he had before UFC 244. According to Sascha Paruk at sportsbettingdime.com, the move from -145 to -300 represents a jump from 59.2 percent probability of winning to 75 percent.
While a Diaz rematch appears unlikely – in part because Diaz says he’s retiring, but also because Masvidal has nothing left to prove against the Stockton native – oddsmakers are clearly starting to see Masvidal as a force in the welterweight division.
Since coming back from a 16-month absence in March of 2019, he has recorded three stoppage victories over three quality opponents, twice as an underdog.
In March, he TKO’d Darren Till in the second round as a +175 underdog. Then in July, he knocked unbeaten Ben Askren out cold with a flying knee just five seconds into the fight, setting a new record for fastest KO in UFC history.
Now with another impressive win over Diaz added to his resume, Masvidal arguably has a claim to a welterweight title shot against the winner of Colby Covington vs Kamaru Usman at UFC 245.
Who he takes on in his next fight isn’t going to be a matter of accolades, though. The 34-year-old has just one thing on his mind during his career renaissance: getting paid. In his post-fight interview, Masvidal threw out a crazy idea, boxing Canelo Alvarez (who happened to be fighting in Las Vegas on the same night as UFC 244).
“If Canelo wants to get his ass kicked, that’s a fight I’ll take … I’m just here to get the biggest checks possible,” said Masvidal.
There’s no shot Masvidal/Canelo becomes the next Mayweather/McGregor, but Masvidal’s approach does give us some idea about what he’ll be doing next: taking the most lucrative fight he can, knowing retirement is not too far off.
On that note, it’s telling that online sportsbooks also opened odds on a potential Masdvidal vs. Conor McGregor fight, presumably with the BMF belt back on the line.
Masvidal was made a slight -150 favorite and there has been no shortage of punditry predicting domination by both fighters. But one thing is clearly true: a Masvidal/McGregor fight would net both men a large payday, and that’s priority No. 1 right now for the UFC’s BMF.