Jorge Masvidal Makes $100K Pick to Beat Islam Makhachev

Jorge Masvidal has never been shy about his opinions, and Jasmine Jasudavicius is ready to make her own case. In separate sit-downs with Home of Fight's Jake Noecker, the two fighters covered a lot of ground. Masvidal argued that Sean Strickland deserves a $10 million payday and made a bold $100,000 pick to beat Islam Makhachev. Jasudavicius, who fights in the co-main event at UFC Edmonton on October 17, said a win could put her next in line for a flyweight title shot.

Masvidal: "Pay the Guy

Asked what Sean Strickland is worth, Masvidal didn't hold back. "Man, when I think about the amount of views and headlines this guy generates, I would say he's worth that 10 mil," he said. He admitted he wasn't sure of Strickland's actual demands and guessed the UFC might be offering "two, three mil." Either way, he argued, "he's definitely worth several millions of dollars."

Masvidal pointed to Strickland's underdog title win over Israel Adesanya and his latest outing. "Every time this guy fights, he just grabs up every headline," he said. His conclusion was blunt: "This guy's a star. Pay the guy, bro."

Gaethje, Killer Instinct and Makhachev

On Dana White's criticism that Ian Garry lacked the killer instinct for an immediate rematch, Masvidal agreed "100%." He said fighters "gotta be going out there for the kill." In his view, Garry was "just so happy to compete" against the world's best. He thought Garry never went to his usual tools, such as head kicks and four-punch combinations, because he was worried about Islam Makhachev's takedowns. Takedowns put Garry "on the passenger side," Masvidal said. "You gotta be the hunter."

Masvidal isn't a big Garry fan, but he said that in a straight kickboxing match he'd put "100% of your money" on him.

The Welterweight Pick Nobody Expects

Asked who can beat Makhachev, Masvidal picked Yaroslav Amosov. "If you gave me $100,000... I'd put my money on" him, he said, citing stylistic reasons. He even predicted Amosov would land more takedowns than Makhachev. He said Dustin Poirier and champion Johnny Eblen could vouch for him, and called him "truly special."

His second choice was Michael Morales, "like a 170-pound Ngannou," whom he called "one of the biggest welterweights I think I've ever seen in person." Masvidal said he'd look for a long-shot futures ticket on Amosov, because "he is a problem." He closed by promoting Gamebred Fighting Championships in Miami on December 11, live on DAZN.

Jasudavicius: "Give Me My Shot

Jasudavicius is excited about fighting in Edmonton. "The crowd is, like, electric there," she said. She sees a win as putting her in the mix at 125 pounds. "They just gave a girl ranked under me a title opportunity," she said, "so I feel like anyone who shows well within the next little while kind of would get that spot."

She also reflected on Natalia Silva, whom she has fought. She called Silva's movement "awkward" and "unexpected," and she'd welcome a Silva vs. Valentina Shevchenko fight: "I would actually love to see that fight."

On champions vacating belts, she approved. "If people are holding the belt and they're not active, that's holding up the division," she said. At her age, she added, "I'm not this little spring chicken, 25 years old, that has years to be able to wait."

She was proud to be co-main event to Mike Malott's headliner against Joaquin Buckley, which she said shows how far they've come. "MMA is growing like crazy," she said. She picked Malott to win.