Michael Bisping expects Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal buildup to be uneventful

Michael Bisping believes those hoping for a heated buildup to Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will be disappointed.

On Nov. 2, Diaz and Masvidal will do battle for the one-time only BMF championship. The welterweight clash is set to headline UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The seeds for this bout were planted when Diaz called Masvidal out following his successful return at UFC 241.

“The reason I was off is cause everybody sucked. There was nobody to fight. But with this belt I wanna defend it against, Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight. All respect to the man, but there ain’t no gangstas in this game anymore. There ain’t nobody who done it right but me and him. So I know my man’s a gangsta, but he ain’t no west coast gangsta.”

On a new edition of his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping explained why he doesn’t believe there will be much banter between Diaz and Masvidal.

“I think a lot of people are getting a little too excited for the preemptive trash talk that’s gonna take place,” Bisping said. “A lot of people are expecting these crazy back-and-forths. I actually think it’s gonna be somewhat respectful. They both know they’re badasses, they both know they’re real dudes. They both know that, ‘listen sh*t can kick off right now motherf*cker. We don’t care.’ So I think for that reason it’s gonna be pretty uneventful, the leadup to the fight.”

Don’t be mistaken, however, Bisping believes that Diaz vs. Masvidal will deliver inside the Octagon.

“Not saying it’s not gonna be compelling,” Bisping continued. “Not saying it’s not gonna be must-watch TV. Not saying the fight isn’t gonna deliver, I am. I just don’t think we’re gonna see like a Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz-type situation. I think both of them are gonna hold each other in a certain level of respect. Hold each other in a certain regard, but the fight will one million percent deliver.”

Do you expect Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal to be tame in their banter ahead of UFC 244?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/16/2019.