UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman made it clear that he chose to rematch Jorge Masvidal because he was unhappy with how the first fight went. Now he assures fans that he will be satisfying himself in the cage on Saturday night.
The first time Usman and Masvidal faced off in the Octagon, it was a one-sided affair, despite it being a short notice fight. Kamaru was able to handily defend his title at UFC 251, using his grappling to control Jorge across five rounds to win a clean unanimous decision.
That is why it came as a bit of a shock that Kamaru called for a rematch with Masvidal after he beat Gilbert Burns, a wish the UFC would grant. Now they will be facing off against each other this weekend, at UFC 261, in front of 15,000 fans.
Kamaru Usman Wants To Satisfy Himself
In the buildup to this title fight rematch, Kamaru Usman explained why he wanted the rematch with Jorge Masvidal. He denied claims that it was for the payday that comes with fighting a big star on PPV, saying that he wanted to prove that he could do better than he did when he fought Jorge on short notice.
He maintained these sentiments when speaking to everyone’s favorite MMA analyst Stephen A. Smith ahead of the fight. Here, the Nigerian Nightmare explained that this time around, he plans on putting on a performance that he can be proud of.
“I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t have time to prepare for him. When I prepare for a guy, I mean the proof is in the pudding. I go out and dominate every facet of where the fight takes place. In (the first Masvidal) fight, I was just reacting because I’m just so far ahead of these guys, even my reaction is better than them on their best day, and I wasn’t really happy with that,” Usman said.
“At this moment in time in my career, I’m doing what it takes to basically satisfy that competitive edge and that competitive drive that I have. That was what I was not satisfied with. I wasn’t satisfied with the time, and preparing for one guy and having (Masvidal) jump in at the last minute, I wasn’t necessarily satisfied with that and the Saturday I’m going to go out there and definitely satisfy myself.”
Welterweight GOAT Debate
Ahead of UFC 261, UFC President Dana White made the bold proclamation that Kamaru Usman was the Greatest of All Time at welterweight. This would put him surpassing Georges St-Pierre, which sat wrong with a lot of UFC fans.
While Kamaru is flattered by these sentiments, he will not outright say that he agrees. In fact, he made it clear that these types of opinions are better left for the fans to decide.
“That’s not for me to say. I’ll let the people say that. I think when my career is done, I’ll let the people say that,” Usman explains.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an interview where Michael Jordon says ‘I’m the greatest ever.’ I don’t think I’ve seen that. I’m sure he feels it, I’m sure in his mind he knows it, but I don’t think he’s ever said that.
“Same with myself, I don’t need to say that,” Usman continued. “I let my work speak for itself so that by the time I’m said and done with my career, people can look back on it and say that guy was truly the greatest.”
How do you see Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal 2 going down? Do you think that the champ is the the welterweight GOAT?
