Jorge Masvidal insists he was only replying to Michel Pereira's wife after the UFC star accused him of messaging her out of the blue.
Pereira, who outpointed Santiago Ponzibbio last weekend, revealed in his post-fight interview that he wants to fight Masvidal because of an alleged interaction that 'Gamebred' had with his wife Gina Amir Atelier, who is a celebrity jeweller.
The Brazilian claimed that Masvidal sent an "emoji" to his wife, telling reporters: “The emoji with the two hands together like ‘amen.’ He sent it to my wife. I’ve never actually crossed paths with him. I didn’t have a chance to ask him, so I figured I really want to understand. But I might as well understand inside the octagon, settle it over there."
Masvidal has now posted a screenshot of his instagram conversation with Pereira's wife, which shows that she started the conversation after replying to a post on Masvidal's story.
"How crazy a world and how far has society fallen that this idiot [Michel Pereira] would use his wife to hopefully one day get a paycheck. Create a fake narrative to try and get a fight with me when clearly he sees she slid in my DM? Wishing you guys the best," Masvidal wrote accompanied with the hashtag marriage counsellor.
Masvidal last fought at UFC 272 in March when he was outwrestled by former teammate Colby Covington. 'Gamebred' was accused of an alleged attack on Covington the following month and has been charged with committing aggravated battery, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Pereira insisted his call out of Masvidal was genuine and not an attempt to seek a big payday. Masvidal is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster and signed a new contract before his last fight that made him one of the highest-paid fighters in the promotion.
Who should Jorge Masvidal fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
If Masvidal isn't keen to fight Pereira, the Brazilian wants to test himself against one of Masvidal's former opponents in Nate Diaz. Pereira wants to settle his problem with Masvidal but thinks his a clash with Diaz would be a great fight for the fans.
“I really want to fight Nate Diaz, because I think it would be really fun to slap each other around,” Pereira continued. “I think it would be a really fun fight. I think we’re going to put on a show for all the fans or Jorge Masvidal, because I have a little bit of a problem with him, and I want to settle it."
