Jorge Masvidal Unhappy With Bellator; Shine Next?

With the addition of Roger Huerta to the Bellator lightweight tournament and the subsequent filling of the last remaining spot with Pat Curran, one competitor, that was thought to be a lock for the tournament has been left out in the cold. His exclusion from the tournament, the potential for a rematch against Tony Imada, and the fact that he is one of the signature names still on the roster from the first season of Bellator has drawn questions as to the future of Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal with the organization. Masvidal’s relationship with Bellator has seemingly soured primarily because of contract issues. Masivdal told MMA Spot’s Joe Gullo this past weekend, from the MMA For Charity event in Virginia, that it was not the financials of the deal that had upset him, but how restrictive he feels his original deal has been and the demands that Bellator is placing on a potential new deal for him.

Since Masvidal’s last fight in Bellator, June 19, 2009, he has competed twice, both outside of his Bellator contract, which is exclusive to North America. The extended layoff between fights with the organization has kept "Gamebred" from fighting in the U.S. and essentially forced him to take fights with less-than-desirable compensation. Masvidal has a single fight left on his original four fight contract, and according to him, he was told that he would be excluded from the lightweight tournament unless he signed a new seven-fight exclusive contract. Not wanting to get tied into another contract that would potentially sideline him for an extended period again, Masvidal declined the offer, thus excluding him from the tournament and leaving just the single fight left on his deal.

Full Article: MMA Spot