UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman denies wanting to take pictures with Jorge Masvidal.
Usman is set to put his 170-pound gold on the line against Masvidal on Saturday night (July 11). “The Nigerian Nightmare” was set to collide with Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 251 but “Durinho” was removed from the card due to a positive COVID-19 test. Masvidal was able to come to terms with the UFC, so a new main event is in place.
Kamaru Usman Says He Never Asked For Pictures With Jorge Masvidal
Usman spoke to ESPN ahead of fight night and he responded to Masvidal’s claims that he was begging for pictures with him years ago, and is now pretending to be someone he isn’t (via MMAJunkie).
“Back in 2015, I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ (and) obviously ended up winning that season, and they would bring us out to ‘TUF Talk’ and there’s a picture of us sitting side-by-side,” Usman told ESPN. “He was on the show with me and he was just a regular .500 fighter that American Top Team just sent over there just to be a representative for their team. But he was a nobody, really – just a journeyman in the UFC. But I was the one there being interviewed, so this guy is talking about I wanted pictures and this and that from him.”
Usman went on to say that the reality of the situation is that Masvidal is the one playing a character. The welterweight champion feels Masvidal tries to come across as a gangster but exposes himself by revealing his plans rather than moving in silence. Usman pointed to Masvidal wearing a pink robe on a private jet and stopping in Rome to take a bite out of a pizza as examples of “Gamebred” trying too hard.
We won’t have to wait long to see who will have their way at UFC 251. Also featured on this card will be two other title fights. Featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski will put his gold on the line against Max Holloway in their second encounter. Petr Yan and former 145-pound king Jose Aldo are set to clash for the vacant bantamweight gold.
Join us on Friday for UFC 251 weigh-in results. We’ll also be bringing you main card predictions. It all leads to fight night, where we’ll be bringing you the live coverage you’ve come to expect from MMA News. This includes live results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits.
