There’s a very particular reason why welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is willing to “risk it all” and fight Jorge Masvidal in a short-notice replacement main event at UFC 249.
With news of Khabib Nurmagomedov likely being out of the UFC 249 headliner with Tony Ferguson due to travel restrictions in Russia, many fighters jumped on social media to throw their names in the hat to possibly headline the card. Two of those people were Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) and and top contender Masvidal.
Both men claimed to have accepted the fight and that it was turned down on the other end. It’s unknown who’s version is right in this situation, but both Usman and Masvidal said the fight won’t happen April 18.
On Tuesday afternoon, the champ took to Twitter to explain why he wanted to fight at UFC 249 despite not having properly trained.
“The real reason I wanted the fight is because, guys, this guy is so much hype, he understands, he knows he can’t hold a candle to who I am, to what I can do,” Usman said. “He knows that. This guy is all hype. He relies on the hype. He relies on all the casual fans to jump on the bandwagon; that’s what he’s relying on. But I knew that fight would not have people in the stands; it would be empty. So old school wrestling style, like I be doing way back in high school, just us in the gym, we don’t need the crowd, we don’t need anybody.
“You know why, guys? Because I want you guys to hear what I’m about to say to him in there. I want you guys to hear every blow. I want you guys to hear, once I take him down, every punch, every elbow, every ground-and-pound strike I throw. I want you guys to hear him squeal like the pig that he is.
“I’m not even sure he’s Cuban, guys. He could be Puerto Rican or Dominican, something, and they’re not even claiming him. Not even Mexico is claiming him. Y’all see him wearing a Mexican color one day; the next day he’s wearing this, he’s wearing that. Nobody is claiming this guy, but I wanted you guys to hear him squeal like a pig, like the little b*tch that he is. I wanted you guys to hear the weird sounds he’s going to make once I elbow him and I’m slicing up his face and dropping hammers on his face. I wanted you guys to hear all that. Nobody in the stands, no fans to cheer him on so he feels like he’s somebody, nobody, just me and him, that’s how I like to break guys.”
It’s still uncertain what the future of UFC 249 will be, as there seems to be no main event booked for the card and still no location. The UFC has yet to announce a postponement or cancellation.
Below is Usman’s full Twitter video:
