UFC's Jorge Masvidal worried about catching syphilis from Michael Chiesa's beard

SEATTLE – UFC lightweight Jorge Masvidal hasn’t had many good things to say about UFC on FOX 8 opponent Michael Chiesa. Actually, he hasn’t anything good to say at all.

“I really just don’t care for him,” Masvidal told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I didn’t like his sportsmanship toward one of my teammates in his last fight. He was kind of a jerk. I just don’t care for him at all.

“I just think he’s a punk, and I’m going to go out there and prove it.”

Masvidal has been outspoken in his contempt for Chiesa leading up to the pair’s UFC on FOX 8 meeting this Saturday at Seattle’s KeyArena. In a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com Radio, he struggled to find anything that impressed him about the undefeated winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 15.”

“There’s nothing nowhere that impresses me about him,” Masvidal said. “He’s like a watered-down Royce Gracie. I don’t see anything on this guy.”

But at a Thursday media session, he took things a step further, attacking Chiesa’s trademark beard, which Masvidal said he may seek to have the Washington State Department of Licensing address.

“I’m going to tell the commission to wrap that thing up,” Masvidal said. “I don’t want to get no mat herpes or nothing on my face. I’ve been in this game a long time, and I ain’t got nothing on my face. I ain’t about catch some syphilis or whatever he’s got going on in that beard, you know?”

For his part, Chiesa has thus far refused to engage in a trashtalking battle. The even-keeled 25-year-old admits he’s read some of Masvidal’s quotes but isn’t interested in bothering with a reply.

“Whatever pumps him up,” Chiesa said. “I’ll let my actions speak for themselves.

“I’m not a talker. I’m a performer, and I’m going to perform on Saturday night.”

Whether or not the preliminary-card matchup, which airs on FX in advance of the FOX-televised main card, has developed into a full-fledged grudge match remains to be seen. Whether or not Chiesa’s beard will become an actual point of contention also remains a mystery, as an official complaint has yet to be filed with the governing commission.

But one thing is crystal clear: Masvidal is not a Chiesa fan, and it appears nothing is off-limits.

“It’s not like I’m going to see him in the street and fight him or nothing like that,” Masvidal said. “It’s not like he owes me money. I just don’t like the dude. I really don’t care for him at all.

“As long as he keeps that beard out of my face, we’ll be cool.”

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