Kamaru Usman says Jorge Masvidal is 100% next for him
The bitter rivalry between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top-contender, ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal isn’t slowing down any time soon. The two have gone back-and-forth over the last few months, dating back to their run in on Radio Row at the Super Bowl in February.
Both fighters also said that they would face each other as the UFC was recently juggling around fights and main event possibilities for UFC 249 which was eventually postponed. With each fighter blaming the other over the fight not coming to fruition now, the focus is still on a fight between the two when the UFC returns to action.
The fight has been rumored to take place this summer and now with their most recent interactions, Usman says there’s no doubt that he’ll face Masvidal in his next fight. During an Instagram Live chat with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Usman said a fight against Masvidal is 100% what’s next for him.
“He’s got a golden ticket with his name on it. He’s won a date [with me].“@USMAN84kg says Masvidal is “100 percent" his "next victim" (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/QqU269z5QM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2020
“We are at 100%. This is the guy that I’ve said it over and over again, anything that you say about me, to me, can, and will be used against you and he has just stepped over that line to where it’s 100%. That’s the fight that I want, that’s the fight that makes sense, that is the next victim.”
Usman would continue on to say that Masvidal had a real chance to face him at UFC 249 but “Gamebred” pulled out because things were not working out for him to do the short-notice fight.
“Look at the situation they just pulled. You ran your mouth, you said you wanted to fight, alright, let’s do it, then all of a sudden it wasn’t working out for you so you pulled out of the fight. It sucks, but it is what it is. He for sure has won a date with me, he’s got a golden ticket with his name on it, he’s won a date, that’s the next guy that I’m going to step inside that Octagon and put my hands on.”
When the UFC returns to action it appears there’s a welterweight title fight ready to go as long as both fighters sign on the dotted line, and it doesn’t appear there will be any issues in having them do that. Kamaru Usman most recently defended his title back at UFC 245 in December when he had a fifth-round TKO over Colby Covington, while Masvidal beat Nate Diaz at UFC 244 to claim the ‘BMF’ title.
