Cormier: Masvidal Missed A Big Opportunity

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The common denominator in the pay grievances Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal have with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is that both men are managed by the same company, First Round Management.

And while it may seem as a positive for manager and fighter, a “kill two birds with one stone” sort of thing, Daniel Cormier says that little fact actually complicates things for “Gamebred.”

To hear the former UFC champ-champ-explain it, two different fighters and two drastically different resumes, means two different negotiation approaches that likely won’t have the same outcome.

“That’s the problem, especially because him and Jones are managed by the same person, so if they’re taking the same approach, they’re vastly different people,” Cormier said on The Ariel Helwani Show.

According to “DC,” since Jones has an unmatched resume and history as a dominant champion for years, the promotion is more likely to revisit talks about a pay raise. All it takes is time.

For Masvidal, though, choosing to forego a Welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman — which has now gone to Gilbert Burns — was a big loss, as he could’ve secured the bag he wanted had he scored a win.

“Jones has been champion for so long, he’s done so many things, he’s got so much more financial security, and ultimately the UFC has to come to the table because you’re holding the belt.

“As long as you have the belt, people got to come back to you to talk to you. You’re the champ. I do believe that (Masvidal) misses a big opportunity.”

Still, neither Masvidal, Jones or UFC seem to be budging form their respective positions, which means Abe Kawa has his work cut our for him.