Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jorge Masvidal agreed to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on just six days notice, which means “Gamebred” will enter the UFC 251 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner in Abu Dhabi without a training camp.
That might be a concern for a showdown against a high-level wrestler like Ben Askren, but not for a “bum” like Usman. In fact, Masvidal feels pretty confident about his chances when the cage door closes on July 11 on “Fight Island.”
“I’m always training, but I’m not always in the gym doing the specifics,” Masvidal told ESPN. “If you’re asking me, are you in shape? Maybe not to fight Ben Askren. I’m not in Ben Askren shape, because he’s a hell of a wrestler. Or even to fight a guy like Darren Till. But am I in shape for this bum I’m about to decapitate and baptize? Hell yeah.”
Masvidal was expected to fight Usman after “The Nigerian Nightmare” defended his title against 170-pound loudmouth Colby Covington; however, negotiations left both sides at a standstill and the promotion opted to go with Gilbert Burns instead.
Then “Durinho” tested positive for coronavirus and UFC was right back where it started, only “Gamebred” had the upper hand. It didn’t take long to get a deal done and barring any additional hangups, the UFC 251 main event appears to be set.