Kamaru Usman has told fans the real reason why he wants to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 249 and it’s pretty intense.
Current UFC 249 headline fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed on Monday that he is unlikely to make his fight with Tony Ferguson due to a travel ban in his native Russia. After this news broke a whole bunch of fighters offered to fill in at UFC 249 including welterweight rivals Usman and Masvidal.
Both men claimed they had accepted the fight but said it had been rejected by the other side. As of right now, it remains unclear who is telling the truth.
Speaking on Twitter, 170lb champion Usman explained why he was willing to risk it all and fight Masvidal with next to no training, he said.
“The real reason I wanted the fight is because, guys, this guy is so much hype, he understands, he knows he can’t hold a candle to who I am, to what I can do,” Usman said. “He knows that. This guy is all hype. He relies on the hype. He relies on all the casual fans to jump on the bandwagon; that’s what he’s relying on. But I knew that fight would not have people in the stands; it would be empty. So old school wrestling style, like I be doing way back in high school, just us in the gym, we don’t need the crowd, we don’t need anybody.
“You know why, guys? Because I want you guys to hear what I’m about to say to him in there. I want you guys to hear every blow. I want you guys to hear, once I take him down, every punch, every elbow, every ground-and-pound strike I throw. I want you guys to hear him squeal like the pig that he is.
“I’m not even sure he’s Cuban, guys. He could be Puerto Rican or Dominican, something, and they’re not even claiming him. Not even Mexico is claiming him. Y’all see him wearing a Mexican color one day; the next day he’s wearing this, he’s wearing that. Nobody is claiming this guy, but I wanted you guys to hear him squeal like a pig, like the little b*tch that he is. I wanted you guys to hear the weird sounds he’s going to make once I elbow him and I’m slicing up his face and dropping hammers on his face. I wanted you guys to hear all that. Nobody in the stands, no fans to cheer him on so he feels like he’s somebody, nobody, just me and him, that’s how I like to break guys.” (Transcribed by MMAJunkie)
What do you make of Kamaru Usman and his reason for wanting to face Jorge Masvidal at UFC 249?