UFC 258 wrapped up last night with Kamaru Usman facing his former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event. Usman defended his welterweight title for the third time with a third-round TKO victory over Burns.
Usman weathered an early storm from Burns before slowly regaining the momentum and finishing the Brazilian early in the third round. Both fighters then shared a long embrace in the middle of the octagon.
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Usman praised Burns for his tenacity and sent a message to Jorge Masvidal stating that if he wants to talk he might as well step in the octagon and back it up.
"Step in here and see me!"
🇳🇬 @Usman84kg wants the one they call 'Street Jesus' #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/7qVROzHd2Q
— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021
Usman then went on to pile on Masvidal during the post-fight press conference.
“I said put some respect on my name for a reason,” Usman said during UFC 258 presser. “That fight he (Masvidal) had a built in excuse. That’s the only reason he took that fight. We tried to make that fight twice before, he said no. When Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and I think it was Tony (Ferguson) fell out, we tried. I called Dana (White) and I said ‘hey it’s two weeks notice, I really haven’t been training but I’ll step in if you need me to’. And they tried to make that fight but Masvidal said no.”
Usman then added,
“’Oh I took the fight on six days’ notice, give me three weeks and see what I’ll do.’ I’ll give you a whole training camp. This time I want to stop him for real because I think that’s the only thing that’s going to close his mouth. Pretending walking around here like he’s Jesus or something. Well, I’m going to put him in a coffin this time.
“This time I will stop him. I promise you. That’s why I was disappointed in myself that last fight because I know I can stop him but with all the circumstances took place, I just went out there and dominated him from start to finish. This time I will stop him if he wants to step up.”
Team Masvidal already calling for a shot at Usman possibly after TUF season. However, Usman isn’t too sure if they want all this smoke or it’s just throwing words in the air.
“He (Masvidal) don’t want that fight. I guarantee you he doesn’t want that fight,” Kamaru Usman said. “I wouldn’t say if I didn’t want it. Have I lied to you guys yet? About anything? Nothing.
“I said what I wanted to do and that’s what I’m going to do. Let’s see if it (fight) materializes.”
It is pretty clear that Usman wants to rematch Masvidal in proper conditions this time. He wants to not let any doubt linger about his victory of “Gamebred” last year. Whether the fight will actually happen is pretty uncertain, but it seems Masvidal received the message.
Jorge Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa immediately tweeted that they accepted the challenge and would like to inaugurate the return of The Ultimate Fighter.
Let’s do It. TUF. Masvidal vs usman. We accept.
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 14, 2021
Considering Masvidal’s recent gain in popularity, the rematch would probably sell pretty well. But there are many worthy contenders in the welterweight division who deserve a shot at the belt, including Stephen Thompson and Leon Edwards. A fight between the two men could decide the next title challenger at 170lbs.https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1360835292064792578
