Jorge Masvidal willing to fight at UFC 249
As news broke on Monday morning about the uncertainty surrounding the main event at UFC 249, Jorge Masvidal is willing to step in and fight.
Currently, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s status for his scheduled main event title fight against Tony Ferguson is up in the air due to travel restrictions but the UFC is looking to keep things going. As a possible replacement opponent, Ferguson has reportedly been offered a fight against Justin Gaethje although there’s been no agreement for that matchup.
With the search for a new main event at UFC 249 continuing, current welterweight contender and ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal has stepped up and offered to fight against champion Kamaru Usman.
April 18 I’m free #theresurrection
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) March 30, 2020
“April 18 I’m free #theresurrection”
Masvidal would follow that up by revealing he was offered a fight against Usman, the second time he’s agreed to fight the current champion.
Second time I say yes to the crotch sniffing champ, second time he has a date #theresurrection
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) March 30, 2020
“Second time I say yes to the crotch sniffing champ, second time he has a date #theresurrection”
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani also confirmed that there had been consideration to a fight between Masvidal and Usman for the welterweight title, but that possibility is unlikely at this time.
UFC has also briefly considered trying to book usman v masvidal for April 18 but that is not looking likely at the moment, sources say. https://t.co/9FNAS32OyB
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 30, 2020
Earlier this year Masvidal and Usman were captured on camera having a confrontation at Radio Row during Super Bowl weekend. With wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz in 2019, Masvidal has made a clear statement to the welterweight division and positioned himself for a title fight opportunity.
Usman became the champion when he defeated Tyron Woodley at UFC 235, and would go on to defend the belt against his bitter rival Colby Covington at UFC 245 this past December.
UFC 249 continues to face changes every day due to travel and crowd restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic but the UFC and Dana White seem intent on keeping the event going as scheduled. With fights changing due to the restrictions in place, some fighters like Jorge Masvidal, are show they’re willing to step in and compete.
