Getty Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is just one of the welterweight stars who wants to fight at UFC 249 now that there seems to be an open slot for the April 18 UFC pay-per-view event. But the 32-year-old champ might have the most bone-chilling reason for wanting to face top contender and “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal in an empty arena next month.
“You know why, guys? Because I want you guys to hear what I’m about to say to him in there,” Usman said. “I want you guys to hear every blow. I want you guys to hear, once I take him down, every punch, every elbow, every ground-and-pound strike I throw. I want you guys to hear him squeal like the pig that he is.”
You can watch the full video Usman released Tuesday on Twitter below.
The real reason I ASKED FOR THE @GamebredFighter FIGHT!!! #exposed #Whencloutchasinggoeswrong
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‘This Guy Is so Much Hype’
Usman doesn’t believe Masvidal is as tough as his supporters make him out to be. While Masvidal’s three-fight win streak during 2019 earned him Fighter of the Year nod from many publications, Usman believes Masvidal is way over-hyped.
“The real reason I wanted the fight is because…this guy is so much hype…he knows he can’t hold a candle to who I am, to what I can do,” Usman said. “This guy is all hype. He relies on the hype.”
Moreover, Usman believes he’d have the edge over Masvidal in an empty arena because there would be no crowd support there. UFC 249 does not yet have a set location yet, but UFC president Dana White has repeatedly told the media that the PPV will be in a closed arena due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Usman loves the sound of that.
“He relies on all the casual fans to jump on the bandwagon,” Usman said. “That’s what he’s relying on. But I knew that fight would not have people in the stands. It would be empty. So old school wrestling style, like I be doing way back in high school, just us in the gym. We don’t need the crowd. We don’t need anybody.”
‘I Wanted You Guys to Hear Him Squeal Like a Pig’
Essentially, Usman believes Masvidal isn’t authentic. The Nigerian-born American questions Masvidal’s heritage and basically suggests Masvidal uses different attributes he has to garner fan support.
“I’m not even sure he’s Cuban, guys,” Masvidal said. “He could be Puerto Rican or Dominican, something, and they’re not even claiming him. Not even Mexico is claiming him. Y’all see him wearing a Mexican color one day, (and) the next day he’s wearing this, he’s wearing that.”
Regardless, Usman doesn’t believe Masvidal has any real supporters. That’s clearly quite false, but fighters say all sorts of crazy things when they talk trash. Still, Usman’s chilling reason for wanting Masvidal in an empty arena at UFC 249 next month was hit on again later in his video post, so it really does seem as if Umsan wants to get Masvidal into the Octagon as soon as humanly possible.
“Nobody is claiming this guy, but I wanted you guys to hear him squeal like a pig, like the little b*tch that he is,” Usman said. “I wanted you guys to hear the weird sounds he’s going to make once I elbow him and I’m slicing up his face and dropping hammers on his face. I wanted you guys to hear all that.”
By the end of the video, Usman sort of sounds like a movie villain.
“Nobody in the stands,” Usman said. “No fans to cheer him on so he feels like he’s somebody. Nobody. Just me and him. That’s how I like to break guys.”
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson