Kamaru Usman has no problem with his new change of opponent.
Usman was originally set to face Gilbert Burns in the UFC 251 headliner taking place July 11 on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island.
However, Burns pulled out after testing positive for COVID-19 and Jorge Masvidal has now stepped in on six days notice to save the day. And for Usman, the only thing that changes is the urge to inflict more damage now that he’s facing a bitter rival as opposed to his former teammate in Burns.
“It’s just a minor change but at the end of the day, when you’re in training camp, the way that I train, you see no face,” Usman told TMZ. “I have to be ready. When I cross into that Octagon, I have to turn on ‘the Nigerian Nightmare’ and leave Kamaru Usman on the outside.
“And so, I see no face by the time I’m in there anyways. Now, it’s a little extra push to get in there and really do some damage. It didn’t make me no difference.”
Usman: BMF Title Will Be Mine
Masvidal’s last outing was in November when he won the BMF title following his TKO win over Nate Diaz.
Usman has ridiculed the title repeatedly since, but given how much importance it seems to have been given in the MMA world, he plans on taking that home once he beats Masvidal.
“That’s my sh*t, absolutely,” Usman said when asked if the BMF title will be up for grabs in addition to the welterweight crown. “… After I go out there and beat his ass and ragdoll him, that sh*t is coming home with me so I can throw it in my closet.”
How do you see Usman vs. Masvidal playing out?