Conor McGregor's rival Jorge Masvidal has paid 'The Notorious' a surprise compliment ahead of a potential UFC clash between the two.
McGregor is targeting a match-up with Masvidal after making his long-awaited UFC return against Donald Cerrone next month.
Irishman McGregor will headline UFC 246 with his welterweight fight against Cerrone in Las Vegas on January 18.
And Masvidal will be keeping a close eye on that fight -as he admitted a clash with McGregor is a greater priority for him at the moment than fighting for a title.
And why? Because, as Masvidal says, former two-weight UFC champion McGregor is "a bad motherf**ker".
“I want to rearrange his face,” Masvidal said on Barstool Sports 'Pardon my Take' podcast , when asked if he wants a fight with McGregor.
“I wouldn’t mind collecting a nice cheque and whooping his ass, because that’s a bad motherf**ker. You know?
"Take nothing from the man. He’s got two belts at 145 pounds and 155 pounds – not easy weights to win at.
"Both times that he won the belt, it was unquestioned. It was no opposition. It was no fighting really.
"It was just he went in there, did what he wanted, and came home with the belt. So I would definitely like to fight him.”
In an interview with Fansided quoted by MMA Junkie , Masvidal was asked whether he'd prefer a fight with McGregor or a UFC welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman.
"Conor is not always going to be around,” Masvidal said. “Whoever has that belt at the time will always be there. There will always be a 170-pound champion.
“What is the big deal if this guy that’s been in the sport 16 years goes on and gets a paycheque? I’m fighting a killer, a two-time champion, a guy that’s a sniper with his left hand – and I’m also going to make a paycheque.”
