ATT owner Dan Lambert has revealed that he tried to talk Jorge Masvidal out of taking a short-notice welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 on Fight island.
“I found out Gilbert dropped out because Jorge called me at like 1 o’clock in the morning,” Lambert told BJPenn.com. “He said hey, I’ll take that fight, let’s make some calls. I didn’t want him to [take it]. I tried to talk him out of it.
“That is like less than a week from today in Abu Dhabi, halfway around the world like are you out of your mind?
“He said, no, I’m taking the fight, it’s going to happen,” he continued. “Like alright, I’ll make a call and let them know you want it to happen and tell them to call your guys and start working it on it. I wasn’t a big fan of it happening on that kind of notice.
“There is a big difference between a guy who is around the gym and a guy in a training camp. But, Jorge Masvidal did pretty damn well.”
As for what comes next – Lambert thinks a blockbuster fight with Conor McGregor would be the best option, but he thinks Masvidal may have other ideas.
“Jorge probably has a much better seat at the table now that he has proven himself as a draw. If I had my say, I want him to make as much money as possible. Conor McGregor is the biggest fight in the world for anybody. So, if I had my say, that would be his next.
“If Jorge has his say, he probably wants the rematch. Right now, the belt is more important than money.”
