Getty Is Leon Edwards next for Jorge Masvidal?
UFC welterweight star Jorge Masvidal was asked about a potential superfight boxing match against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday night, but the “BMF” champ ended up confirming his next UFC fight instead. Masvidal revealed to Boxing Social after attending the Canelo vs. Yildirim boxing match in Miami that his next fight would be a rematch against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
“Right now, I’m focused on me fighting for the belt which will be in August or September. We just got word on this, so you’re like the second person to actually know this right now…,” Masvidal said.
You can watch Masvidal reveal the massive news about his next UFC fight to Boxing Social below.
MASVIDAL CONFIRMS UFC RETURN
@ufc star @GamebredFighter says he will fight @USMAN84kg in September – but says he would be interested in a future switch to boxing for “big money”. 💰
🔞 @Betfred Fight Odds: t.co/CnGSL9uga3
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UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
Last year, Usman defeated Masvidal via unanimous decision at UFC 251. After a strong start to the fight in the first round, Usman took over the next four rounds to win on the judges’ scorecards.
However, Masvidal had taken that main event fight on just six days’ notice after Usman’s original opponent for UFC 251, Gilbert Burns, tested positive for COVID-19 during fight week, so most UFC fans were expecting the UFC BMF champ to get another crack at Usman someday soon.
Now, it appears the massive rematch will happen later this year in either August or September, at least according to Masvidal, and that it will be each man’s next UFC fight.
Masvidal hasn’t competed since UFC 251.
Meanwhile, Usman defeated Burns by third-round knockout at UFC 258 on February 13.
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Will Foot Stomps Play A Factor in Rematch?
Both Masvidal and Usman have referenced in recent social media posts one of the biggest storylines surrounding their last fight: foot stomps.
Usman recently posted a video of himself shadowboxing except that he wasn’t only punching and kicking his shadow the way most MMA fighters do. Nope, Usman added some stomps to the mix.
You can see that post below.
Training for the next one already 👊🏿🌍🤴🏿 #AndStill
Meanwhile, Masvidal posted the following via his Instagram stories.
Whether foot stomps actually end up playing a part in the rematch remains to be seen, but both fighters are likely to make reference to what happened in the first fight from now until the rematch goes down.
More Recent Trash Talk From Usman and Masvidal
After Usman defeated Burns at UFC 258, Usman told the media at the post-fight press conference that he would finish Masdvial in the proposed rematch.
“I’m going to put him in a coffin this time,” Usman said per MMA Junkie.
Masvidal doesn’t see things the same way.
Instead, Masvidal pointed out that the last thing he needed to be worried about in a rematch would be a coffin, and what he would need to be ready for were more stomps and clinches.
You can see that post below.
Usman vs. Masvidal 2 appears to be on its way later this year. Usman is one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC, and Masvidal is one its most popular stars.
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