Later this month, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal will compete for a second time for 170-pound gold at UFC 261.
The pair first fought last summer, when “Gamebred” stepped up on six days’ notice to replace Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID-19, and fight Usman at UFC 251 on “Fight Island”.
It was a losing effort for Masvidal, who was controlled in the clinch and down on the mat as Usman eased his way to a unanimous decision victory and the second successful defence of his UFC welterweight title.
But the Miami fighter points to poor preparation and a drastic weight cut being the main factors behind his lacklustre performance against Usman and he is confident that he will prosper in their rematch at UFC 261.
“I’m not going to cut 20 pounds of weight now, mainly of water, in six days,” Masvidal told Laura Sanko during an ESPN+ Q&A. [H/T MMA Junkie] “As I stand right now I’m eight, nine pounds before I hit the mark of 170. So it’s a different weight cut altogether. That’s going to be the main determining factor I think.”
Usman appears untouchable at the top of the UFC welterweight mountain after he followed up his victory over Masvidal with a knockout win against former teammate Burns. However, Masvidal believes he has his number.
In fact, Masvidal is so confident of his chances of victory that he is planning on a third fight with “The Nigerian Nightmare” if he gets the win to level up their score.
“When I win the rematch, we definitely will go for the trilogy because I will not go down in history 1-1 with this individual,” Masvidal said. “It’s just not going to happen.”
