Kamaru Usman: I’m Not Worried About Jorge Masvidal, He Couldn’t KO Nate Diaz
The odds are that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be making his next title defense against Jorge Masvidal.
Usman comes off a successful title defense over Colby Covington in December. Now, Usman is looking at Masvidal, who has won three-straight by way of knockout or TKO, and against some well-known names. In 2019, Masvidal put away Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz. Now, he is next in line to face Usman. The pair have struck up quite the rivalry with one another, nearly coming to blows at Super Bowl media day.
Speaking to media recently as a guest fighter at UFC 247, Usman was asked about a potential matchup against Masvidal. During the scrum, Usman suggested he doesn’t have real reason to fear Masvidal. He has fought guys like Tyron Woodley, who bring more power, and dominated him for five rounds. Usman also suggests that Masvidal not being able to knock out Nate Diaz was telling as well. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“Let’s weigh it out right now: me standing with Masvidal or me standing with Tyron Woodley, which one is a little more … yeah, Tyron Woodley more power, Tyron Woodley could touch you and put you out,” Usman said. “I should be worried about Masvidal? He couldn’t knock out Nate Diaz, and I should worry about Masvidal? Come on, man.”
Usman then looked back on Masvidal’s past losses to Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is surprised to see all the hype behind the American Top Team (ATT) product given the losses on his record. Despite his recent resurgence at 170 pounds, Usman seems to see Masvidal’s current run as nothing more than a fluke. When they step into the cage, Usman truly believes he’s going to dictate where the fight goes and how it plays out.
“This guy’s fought Demian Maia; what happened? He took an L,” Usman said. “He fought ‘Wonderboy;’ what happened? Took an L. Now it’s crazy to me that he has all this hype, and everyone says he’s this striker, he’s this killer, he’s this, this and that. It doesn’t matter, I’m going to do me. I’m going to put him on his ass, I’m going to beat on him until he wants to quit, and if he stands up, I will knock him out if I need to.
“Everyone’s talking about striking. First of all, you got to stand upright to strike. Don’t think I’m not going to take you down. I’m going to take you down, period. There’s no secret to what’s going to happen. I’m going to take you down and beat on you until you quit.”
What do you think about Usman saying he’s not worried about Masvidal because he couldn’t finish Nate Diaz?
