It's no secret that Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman don't like each other, and both have plans to punish the other at UFC 251. Although Masvidal claims that it will be "just business" when he faces Usman on Saturday for the UFC welterweight title on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi, the Cuban hopes that he can give his rival some additional shots after he puts him to sleep for good measure.
“If the referee trips on the way to stopping me and I get to get a couple extra, extra punches, I wouldn’t mind,” Masvidal said during the UFC 251 virtual media day. “They’re going to be a little bit more than the super necessary punches. It’s going to be something a little special. I’m going to have to go into my fast-forward speed and truly send this guy to another plane.”
When Masvidal demolished Ben Askren in a UFC record five seconds last July with a flying knee, he made sure to send a few additional punches at the head of his downed opponent until the referee pulled him off. He called those punches "super necessary" and wouldn't mind giving his rival a dose of the same medicine he prescribed to Askren.
“Like I said in the Askren fight, before and after, it’s never personal — it’s always business,” Masvidal said. “It’s just people that I probably didn’t get along too well with, but Usman for a fact has crossed lines that no other competitor that I’ve fought have talked about."
Usman and Masvidal have been at each other since a run-in on media row during Super Bowl week in Miami where the two were embroiled in a heated shouting match. Since then, Masvidal has been rather uncomplimentary of his opponent and criticized Usman's ability or lack thereof.
“He is nowhere near as good as advertised,” the "BMF" champion said. “That’s why I’m here, I’m going to prove it. I think he’s mentally weak, and I can’t blame the guy either. He’s got 17 personalities. He should have had them diagnosed, and maybe each one of his personalities needs to be on Adderall or some type of substance so he doesn’t have so many personalities."