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Kamaru Usman may be the reigning UFC welterweight champion and overall betting favorite heading into his title defense opposite Jorge Masvidal tomorrow night (Sat., July 11, 2020) at UFC 251 live on ESPN+ PPV from Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, but that doesn’t mean “Nigerian Nightmare” will have an easy time inside of the Octagon.
Usman was originally expected to fight surging welterweight contender Gilbert Burns this weekend to help ring in the promotion’s “Fight Island” debut, but Burns tested positive for COVID-19 last weekend and was replaced by Masvidal. Some may think Usman has the advantage considering he’s been training for UFC 251 much longer than ”Gamebred,” but the UFC champion isn’t overlooking one of the biggest challengers to his current title reign.
“He’s the best out of each and every one of (my past opponents),” Usman told reporters during UFC 251’s virtual media day on Thursday (see it again HERE). “He’s the best. He’s the next guy in front of me. He’s the toughest guy in front of me, so I don’t take him lightly. I’m going out there with all my thoughts, the thought that he’s the best opponent that I have faced today, and I have to go out there and treat him accordingly.”
While Usman has posted a perfect 11-0 UFC record en route to winning the welterweight title and defending it against Colby Covington last year in one of the best fights of 2019, Masvidal is still the bigger draw entering this weekend’s main event. That’s because “Gamebred” turned in one of the best campaigns of any fighter in 2019 after securing consecutive knockout finishes over Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz.
“Can you sell (expletive) to the fans?” Usman said. “The fans know if you have someone that’s worthy as a challenger. The fact that Jorge had such an amazing year in 2019 puts him into that category to where he’s the next biggest challenge for me. I’m excited. I can’t wait. I think this is the fight that people wanted, and it’s the fight that people are getting.”
Usman and Masvidal were originally expected to meet this weekend before contract negotiations stalled and forced “Gamebred” to publicly go to bat wit the promotion, while UFC turned its attention to Burns. Cooler heads have prevailed and UFC was able to get Masvidal on board after Burns tested positive for coronavirus. It isn’t the most likely course of events, but it did set up the biggest fight at 170 pounds and arguably the toughest matchup for Usman.
“At the end of the day, Masvidal is the biggest, baddest opponent that I have ever faced up to this date,” Usman said. “They’re supposed to make a big deal out of that because he’s no slouch. I know that he’s tough. I know that he presents a different challenge, but thats my job. That’s why I’m a champion. That’s why I’m on top.
“We’ve seen previously, my previous opponent said that he was going to leave me out on a stretcher just like Masvidal. He said that they will leave me in a pool of my own blood and that they would carry me out on a stretcher. My opponent before that, Tyron Woodley, said if it came to wrestling, he’d kick my ass. If it came to jiu-jitsu, he’d break my arm. If it came to striking, he’d knock me out. And we saw how all that turned out. So you know, that’s the story they say just to try to build themselves up and hype themselves up. But very quickly, when they step in there, their dreams of being champion turn into nightmares quickly.”
What say you, Maniacs? Is Masvidal the biggest challenge of Usman’s career? Who ends up winning this main event title fight?
Sound off!
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