Kamaru Usman wants the blood of Jorge Masvidal after defending the title at UFC 258.
After taking Gilbert Burns to a technical knockout in the third round at UFC Apex headlining in Las Vegas, Usman made it clear that there is one fight he is interested in above all others: a rematch against Masvidal.
Usman (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) defeated Masvidal by unanimous dominant decision (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) last July at UFC 251, but the fight did not meet the expectations of many – including the champion himself – after being together only six days in advance. Usman is not satisfied with that and wants a second chance with Masvidal to leave no questions.
“He had a built-in excuse,” Usman told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 258. “That’s the only reason he fought in that fight. We tried to do that fight twice before; he said no. … he’s saying no. The only reason he fought on ‘Fight Island’ is because there was an excuse built into it. He was training all the time, but he said, ‘Oh, I only had six days in advance, so that’s why it was like that’. Well, guess what? I’m going to give you an entire training camp, and this time I’m going to stop you. I promise.
“That’s why I was disappointed with myself in that last fight, because I know that I can stop him. But with all the circumstances that happened, I just went there and dominated it from start to finish. So this time, I’m going to stop him if he wants to step forward, but I guarantee he doesn’t. He’s going to be quiet. “
There have been discussions about Masvidal’s next fight against his former best friend who became a heated rival Colby Covington. With Usman’s demand, however, there is a possibility that the promotion will change gears.
UFC President Dana White did not commit, but made it clear that he would at least hear Usman’s request.
“There are a lot of options for him now,” said White. “If this is the fight he wants, and this is the fight that Masvidal wants, and I’m sure people would like to see it too. … I do not know.”
Usman said that in the end he will knock down any obstacles in front of him, but it is obvious that Masvidal is the most attractive to him. If he fulfills his wish, he promised that it would be worse for “Gamebred”.
“I’m going to put him in a coffin this time,” said Usman. “He doesn’t want that fight. He doesn’t want that fight. I guarantee he doesn’t want that fight. I wouldn’t say if I didn’t want to. Have I lied here? Have I lied to you about anything? Nothing. I said what I wanted to do and that’s what I’m going to do. Let’s see if that materializes. “