As the world waits for any news of Conor McGregor’s return, Jorge Masvidal isn’t done taking shots at the Irishman! ‘Gamebred’ had previously claimed in an MMA Junkie interview that, “…he’s never addressed a fight with me or something because he is scared sh*tless.” Masvidal had stepped away from the UFC after a loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in 2023. What has he been up to since?

The Miami native took on his rival Nate Diaz in a boxing match in July where he came up short via a majority decision. Recently, he’s been hinting that a return to the UFC may be in the cards for him and he’s aimed at Conor McGregor for trying to avoid fighting him yet again. However, according to Jake Paul, there’s more to the story on why ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t been allowed to step into the Octagon yet. So keep reading to find out.

Jorge Masvidal fires off a salvo at Conor McGregor for “never fighting” him 

Since announcing his retirement from MMA, Jorge Masvidal has been busy with his ‘Gamebred’ promotions and pursuing his boxing match against Nate Diaz. Masvidal has also made waves in the MMA sphere recently by declaring his intention to return to the UFC. Speaking to Grind City Media, Masvidal stated that, “Definitely 100 percent back to MMA [next], I don’t know when I’m fighting but I’m fighting at either the end of this year or next year.”

With Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler both demanding a December date for their long-awaited bout, Masvidal has also thrown his hat into the ring. But he doesn’t think the Irishman will be stepping up to face him anytime soon.  Will McGregor answer the multiple call-outs though? According to an interview with MMA Fighting, Masvidal doesn’t think so.

Taking aim at the Irishman, ‘Gamebred’ proclaimed that, “Conor’s under no circumstance fighting me. He’s backed out of fighting poor little Chandler, I don’t know how many times he left that dude in the dust. You know, imagine me, nah. That guy’s never fighting me.”

Since the McGregor vs. Chandler bout was scheduled to be held at 170 lbs before it fell through, it would make sense why ‘Gamebred’ would be angling to face ‘The Notorious’ at welterweight, the division the Miami native once challenged for the title in. But while he was permitted by the UFC to go pursue the Diaz boxing match, according to Jake Paul, the promotion isn’t too keen on Conor McGregor fighting anytime soon because of one particular reason!

Jake Paul pulls back the curtain on McGregor’s absence from the UFC  

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s canceled UFC 303 bout was the cause of a lot of disappointment and heartbreak in the MMA fandom. But there seem to be no signs of their fight being rescheduled any time soon as Dana White has maintained that, “As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year.” So why is the promotion seemingly not trying to get arguably the biggest name in combat sports back in action? According to Jake Paul, finances may be the reason behind it.

Speaking on an episode of his ‘BS w/Jake Paul’ show, where he was joined by Francis Ngannou, Paul stated, “Conor has two fights left on his fight deal, but the UFC is trying to renew their rights deal. Coz they license their content, which are the fights to platforms so they’re trying to re-new their deal, like they’re negotiating with multiple people. As such, Paul indicated that the promotion is trying to maintain McGregor’s contract with two fights still left on it as leverage.

‘The Problem Child’ further explained that, “The company would be like ‘well you only have Conor for one fight’. So that’s why Conor is not fighting right now.” With Jake Paul shedding light on potential financial motives behind the delay, there might be more at play than just scheduling conflicts.

Will Conor McGregor return to silence his critics, or will UFC’s business dealings keep him sidelined as Paul hinted? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!