Things are heating up between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal online as Burns has gone on record saying that Masvidal's declined an offer to fight him 3 times.
Masvidal has not stayed quiet and has since responded:
This is not the first time these two have been in each other's crosshairs, as according to Burns, they had verbally agreed to fight months ago. Jorge disputed those claims, saying that no such agreement had occurred.
Burns' last fight took place in a razor-close war against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 earlier this year. His notable wins include Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley. He also challenged Kamaru Usman for the Welterweight title in 2021, nearly getting the job done in round 1 before suffering a 3rd-round knockout loss to the champ.
Burns furthered that he will move on from Jorge and wants his next fight to be against Belal Muhammad in Brazil.
"[The UFC] say I’m fighting in Brazil, so I’m just waiting for an opponent in Brazil, and then later we can make the Masvidal fight if they still want it. Right now I’m moving forward. . . At this point, I think Belal Muhammad. Just because he took my place in the rankings. That would be a good fight, and that is the one that is more close in the rankings, but at this point, I don’t care. I know everybody wants to see me in Brazil." - Gilbert Burns wants Belal Muhammad next, but it's still worth fighting Masvidal after.
Masvidal has not been getting the results he wants and hasn't seen a win since his meteoric rise to stardom in 2019 where he finished Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz all inside 9 months. His last fight was at UFC 272 vs. Colby Covington in the PPV main event. The fight had one of the most personal and animosity-filled buildups of all time as no words were spared between the friends turned enemies. The two brought up stories of living together, training together, and Covington even went as far as to bring Jorge's wife into it.
Masvidal lost the fight by unanimous decision, marking his 3rd loss in a row after losing to former champion Kamaru Usman 2 times. He is now facing potential jail time after assaulting Covington in a hit-and-run outside of a Miami restaurant.
With Burns seemingly finding a new direction to go, Jorge Masvidal will have to find another way to get back into the top 5, as he's currently ranked at #11 in his division.