Jorge Masvidal proudly paraded his BMF belt in front of Kamaru Ussman - but insisted his rival does not qualify for a shot.
The unofficial UFC title was on the line in 2019 when Masvidal beat Nate Diaz when their fight was stopped on cuts at the end of the third round.
As a one-off trophy it was not designed to be defended - but Masvidal displayed it at last night's press conference.
And when asked if it would be on the line in Florida on Saturday night, he said: " You gotta be a BMF to compete for that one, and this dude ain’t it."
Usman, the welterweight champion, said dismissively: " What belt?. There’s three belts, three shiny belts here. This is what’s important. Not that piece of s***"
Masvidal accepted last year's fight with Usman on six days' notice and was fatigued as he struggled to a decision defeat.
And he added: "Not having to cut 20 pounds in six days means a lot to me. All the energy I wasted on cutting weight is going to be spent putting the finish on him."
But Usman retorted: “Let’s be honest. You got 14 losses in your career, seven in the UFC, you’re 3-3 in your last six, you are sitting there today because I chose you.
"I’m coming around the track and you’re the first guy that I’m about to lap. Period."
The UFC welcomes back a capacity crowd for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Jacksonville with a world title triple-header.
Zhang Weili defends her strawweight title against Rose Namajunas and Valentina Shevchenko will put her flyweight belt on the line against Jessica Andrade.
