Heading into the first week of July it seemed, for all intents and purposes, as though Jorge Masvidal had played a bad hand and come up short. The ‘BMF’ champion had stood firm with the UFC, telling the promotion that he wouldn’t fight for the welterweight belt unless he saw more money in his pocket at the end of the day. And the UFC seemed entirely willing to move on without him, booking streaking Henri Hooft-trained BJJ ace Gilbert Burns to face champion Kamaru Usman in Masvidal’s place.
But for the world’s largest MMA promotion, the best laid plans often go awry.