We all know how quickly Jorge Masvidal rose to face Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, but things were far from simple for the current UFC welterweight champion before this fight.
Of course, Usman had already completed a full training camp for that event, which was originally set to see him face Gilbert Burns on July 20, 2020. But when Burns was excluded from the fight after a positive test for COVID-19, Usman packed got up and went home, triggering a series of circumstances that he admitted left him doubting his decision to compete on the UFC Fight Island.
“It was challenging because it was the first time that I was mentally thrown and thrown from side to side, because generally when I enter the week of the fight, I am mentally safe and know my routine,” he told MMA Junkie, before remembering a remarkable sequence of events that left him running out of time to prepare for a great title defense against a dangerous new opponent.
After picking up food in Las Vegas and a flight connection that saw him stop in Dallas, Usman was about to dive into a plate of tacos and taste his first beer in eight months when he got the call saying Masvidal had intervened.
“I’m opening the beer and I get a call – a FaceTime from my manager,” he recalled. “He’s like, ‘Yes. I think we have a fight for you. … Masvidal has agreed to fight you. ‘I’m like,’ No! ‘ (e) turned the cap back on the beer. There was a girl sitting next to me. I gave her the beer and pushed the plate of tacos. I’m like, ‘Yes. Go ahead and have it. ‘
“My parents picked me up. We immediately went straight to Target, got a balance. (I) went up on the scale – about 26 pounds more. I was 196.5 ”.
A quick call to a former trainer in the area saw Usman slap his gloves and work to lose some weight before having to jump back on another flight back to Las Vegas, where he went straight back to quarantine before his flight to Abu Dhabi, where another quarantine followed.
That meant Usman’s fight week was a roller coaster ride as he tried to get back to his normal fight week zone and make sure he was under the weight of the championship – while struggling to cope with the time shift and the noise of cars passing by your window – while preparing for the night of the fight on “Ilha da Luta”. Usman even admitted that he began to doubt himself by questioning his decision to accept the change in the short term.
“Dealing with all this, not being able to sleep and acclimating … I basically didn’t sleep in the four days I was there,” he said. “With all those circumstances going on and continually listening, ‘Oh! He will accept this fight six days in advance! ‘this, this and that, at some point, it kind of hit me, mentally.
“I’m like, ‘Wow! Am I ready for this? Did I make the right decision here? What if he shocked the world? What if he baptizes me? I am already blessed! Why do I need to be baptized? ‘All these crazy thoughts were running through my mind. But, of course, being mentally strong, I’m like, ‘Get out of here! You know this guy! You can beat this half-asleep guy! ‘So at some point, I basically had to pull myself together, put it all aside, come in and take care of business. And I take my hat off to him for stepping up and accepting this fight and allowing me to earn a living. “
Usman went on to claim the unanimous decision and retain the title with 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 results, and now he is ready to take on his originally scheduled UFC 251 opponent, Burns, when he returns to action at UFC 258 , which takes place on Saturday, February 13, at UFC Apex, in Las Vegas.
One thing is for sure, “The Nigerian Nightmare” will be waiting for a much smoother week of fighting this time around.
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