UFC president Dana White declared during Super Bowl week earlier this year that welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal would be fighting during International Fight Week, culminating with a pay-per-view card on Saturday, July 11, in Las Vegas.
In a recent interview, Masvidal says the fight almost happened at the now-postponed UFC 249 but felt the offer was too low for him to take the risk because of the coronavirus pandemic. Usman takes umbridge with the reason Masvidal turned down the opportunity to fight three months sooner than the July date. Regardless of when they meet, Usman guarantees they will lock horns inside the Octagon.
“We are at 100 percent,” Usman told ESPN. “This is the guy. I’ve said it over and over again: Anything you say about me, to me, can and will be used against you, and he has just stepped over that line to where it’s 100 percent. That’s the fight that I want. That’s the fight that makes sense. That is the next victim, and look at what they just pulled. I mean, look at the situation they just pulled. You ran your mouth. You said you wanted to fight. All right. Let’s do it.
“Then all of a sudden, oh, it wasn’t working out for you. It wasn’t working out for you, so you pulled out of the fight. So it sucks, but it is what it is. He, for sure, has won a date with me. He’s got a golden ticket with his name on it. He’s won a date. That’s the next guy that I’m going to step inside that Octagon and put my hands on.”
White told ESPN last week when he announced UFC 249 wouldn't be happening on Saturday that Fight Island should be ready in about a month. You can count Usman in on competing there and Masvidal standing across from him.
“I want to see how he’s going to react, stepping into the cage with me when there’s no fans around,” Usman said. “There’s no one to scream, no one to cheer for him — just him getting pummeled, taken down, dropped on his neck, dropped on his head. I might suplex him a couple of times. I mean, Rustam Khabilov did all kinds of things to him, so I might just reenact that."
“Absolutely, that ‘Fight Island’ sounds good," Usman added. "It doesn’t matter if there’s people there, if nobody’s there — it doesn’t matter. I get the same paycheck.”