“I want to put the nail in that coffin once and for all.”
Kamaru Usman wants to leave no doubt as to who the real ‘baddest motherf-cker’ in the UFC is when he defends his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261, in a replay of their first championship matchup at UFC 251.
Usman won the first fight via unanimous decision, but ‘Gamebred’ claims that was only because he accepted the fight on less than a week’s notice and is adamant things will play out differently in the rematch.
Usman, however, wants to shut Masvidal up for good and potentially end his career on April 24.
“I want to put the nail in that coffin once and for all,” Usman told TMZ Sports in a recent interview.
Usman plans to give Masvidal a reality check next month but will be careful not to underestimate the UFC ‘BMF’ champ on fight night.
“There’s two things — One, either he truly believes it which I have to take very very very seriously … or he’s just too stupid to understand what’s happening right now,” the reigning UFC welterweight champion said
“So, I gotta believe that it’s the first one and I gotta take him at his word.”
“Now it’s time to come back to reality. It’s 2021. The ship has sailed my man.”
Masvidal hasn’t fought since his first encounter with Usman at UFC 251 while the latter recently defended his welterweight title with a career-defining TKO win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 258.
UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 will take place on April 24 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.