Advertisement

UFC 251: Kamaru Usman not fooled by Jorge Masvidal’s six days’ notice narrative – ‘been training whole time’

  • Welterweight champion Usman describes ‘roller coaster’ negotiations after original opponent tests positive for Covid-19
  • ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ warns fans not to fall for Masvidal’s short-notice ‘excuses’ and ‘gangster’ personality

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal fighting Nate Diaz in their BMF championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, New York, in November 2019. Photo: AFP

Kamaru Usman said he was cracking open a beer when he received the call that Jorge Masvidal would be stepping in to fight him at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

UFC welterweight champion Usman (16-1), who is the promotion’s first African title-holder, had travelled home to Florida and loaded up on food after hearing about original opponent Gilbert Burns testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

“We tried to reach out to Masvidal – he said no. We tried to reach out to Covington – he said no. So no fight, all right I can eat now, I’m good,” Usman told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

“I haven’t had a beer in maybe 10 months and I’m at the airport walking by a Mexican restaurant. ‘You know what, I’m gonna have a beer and some food’. As soon as I’m literally twisting the cap off, my phone rings. It’s [manager] Ali [Abdelaziz]. ‘Hey, you gotta fight’. Well, let’s go ahead and put this cap back on. I didn’t even take on swig of it.”

The 33-year-old Usman, who is on an 11-fight win streak in the UFC and has not lost in his pro career since 2013, described his need to “mentally refocus” and seeking his “council for guidance” before getting on board to fight “Gamebred” Masvidal (35-13).

“It’s been a roller coaster but at the end of the day this is what champions are made of ... with Masvidal I guess the case was always [contract] negotiations, but thankfully they got the deal done and I have a fight,” said “The Nigerian Nightmare”.

Advertisement