After Conor McGregor infamously crossed over to boxing to face Floyd Mayweather in a heavily hyped superfight, plenty of MMA fighters have wanted to follow suit.
But if one fighter has the momentum to do so right now, it’s probably Jorge Masvidal, who has had an incredible 2019, becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars. Masvidal has expressed interest in boxing Saul Alvarez, the man best known as “Canelo.” Fellow UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa, for one, is all for it and believes the possibilities for Masvidal are endless.
“Now, the things you can do with Jorge Masvidal, screw it, set up him in a boxing match,” Chiesa told MMA Junkie. “Jorge is in a great position that he can be whatever he wants to be. If he wants to jump into the title fight after (UFC) 245 he can do that. If he wanted to get a boxing match with Canelo Alvarez, you could probably make it happen.
“People love these crossover fights, I don’t disagree with them at all. He’s in a good position, and Nate (Diaz) is, as well, and both guys deserve it.”
Masvidal defeated Diaz at UFC 244 earlier this month, capturing the “BMF” belt and capping off an incredible year. While the introduction of the “BMF” title initially received plenty of criticism, Chiesa liked the concept, and the fact that it resulted in a big event and a big payday for both guys.
“These guys deserve it; these guys deserve a big payday,” Chiesa said. “It’s a polarizing matchup, East vs. West. It’s everything you want as a fan and more, so to make that fight, yeah, you make a frickin’ belt for it. Who cares? Boxing makes weight class and (expletive) all the time.
“There’s a hundred different million weight classes in boxing. Like, who cares if we make up a title for one of the biggest events we’ve had in the last five years. Like, they deserve all that and then some.”
Michael Chiesa in for Jorge Masvidal vs. 'Canelo' Alvarez: 'These guys deserve a big payday'