Jorge Masvidal’s manager is denying the claim that “Gamebred” turned down Kamaru Usman bout for UFC 249.
At the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty with UFC 249. For starters, the bout is scheduled to take place in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The original location wasn’t going to work out due to an executive order in the state of New York. The NSAC also suspended all sporting events, so the UFC can’t use its Apex facility in Las Vegas. Now because of a travel ban in Russia, the main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is in doubt.
Masvidal’s Manager Denies Fighter Turned Down Usman Bout
Masvidal took to his Twitter account to claim he is ready to fight on April 18. During an Instagram live chat, Usman said Masvidal turned down a fight with him. Masvidal’s manager, Abe Kawa, denied this during his own live chat on social media (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
“Now, we accepted again and he’s saying we turned it down. That’s a damn lie. We got the phone call. We were asked. We knew this was coming. We said, ‘Absolutely. Let’s go.’ We knew how this was going to go. Did we think Usman would take the fight? Well, let’s see. He didn’t take it on seven weeks’ notice last time. What makes any of you guys think he’s going to take it on two weeks’ notice this time? It wasn’t going to happen. You guys can say what you want. I know, on our end, we accepted. Whatever happened after that, I can’t tell you, man. I just know this is two times we’ve said yes to Usman and two times we don’t have an answer.”
With UFC president Dana White insisting on trying to make UFC 249 a reality for April 18, it appears he’s willing to throw caution to the wind. The UFC boss had previously revealed plans to book Usman vs. Masvidal for July.
As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
