UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is all set to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The main event of UFC 261 is a rematch from the UFC 251 fight that took place last year in Abu Dhabi. In that fight, Kamaru Usman was able to defeat Jorge Masvidal via a unanimous decision. However, Masvidal has been gunning for a rematch ever since as he took the fight on six days notice as the opponent initially scheduled to fight Usman i.e Gilbert Burns tested positive for Covid-19.
Masvidal said that with a six-week camp, he is going to put Usman in a coffin. Kamaru Usman meanwhile said that Masvidal should have at least shown some gratitude for getting a title fight.
“You would only expect like, I mean, come on,” Kamaru Usman told MMA Junkie in a recent interview. “This guy is giving you an opportunity to make a ton of money and take care of your family, but no, it’s not that. It just shows the difference between certain fighters and myself. It is what it is. I guess he has to say what he needs to say in order to sell the fight.
“I was told earlier that he made a comment and called me a coward going into the fight, and that’s pretty harsh when a guy’s giving you two chances and you’ve made the most money you’ve ever made in your career and put you on the biggest stage you’ve ever been in your career. That’s kinda tough. You’re fighting in a title fight back-to-back times. To call the guy a coward, that seems a little silly to me.”
Kamaru Usman says he will get his hands raised at UFC 261
Kamaru Usman further added that even though they both have bad blood with each other, he has always shown respect to Jorge Masvidal.
“At the end of the day, I’ve never really taken anything away from him,” Usman said. “He’s a good fighter. He’s a really good fighter. I’ve always shown him that respect, and I think as a sportsman, yeah, he’s a good fighter, but I just think I’m a great fighter. I’m an elite fighter, when these guys are good fighters. At the end of the day, we’re gonna have to go in there and step in, and I’ll make it happen again.” (H/T – MMAJunkie.com)
UFC 261 fight card featuring Usman vs Masvidal
- Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal – for welterweight title
- Champ Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas – for women’s strawweight title
- Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade – for women’s flyweight title
- Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman
- Jimmy Crute vs. Anthony Smith
- Danaa Batgerel vs. Kevin Natividad
- Brendan Allen vs. Karl Roberson
- Qileng Aori vs. Jeffrey Molina
- Johnny Munoz vs. Mark Striegl
Purchase the merch here.
Click to Predict here.
SHARE
