Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is prepared to defend his strap for the third time when he takes on No. 2 ranked Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 on February 13, however Usman still has the “BMF” on his radar.
After taking the welterweight title from Tyron Woodley in March 2019, Usman has gone on to defend the belt against Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Burns, Usman’s former training partner, is riding a six-fight win streak. He moved up to 170 pounds in August 2019 where he has won all four of his contests, including a unanimous decision victory against Woodley in May 2020.
Ahead of his title fight with “Durinho” next month, Usman spoke with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. During the interview, “The Nigerian Nightmare” revealed that he wasn’t at his best during his 25-minute bout with Masvidal at UFC 251 in July 2020.
Usman defeated Masvidal, took the fight on less than a week’s notice after Burns pulled out, by unanimous decision. Although there was a lot of excitement going into the bout, the fight was largely contested in the clinch and didn’t live up to the electric affair fans hoped for.
The Nigerian Nightmare told Okamoto there were “a lot things” that he had to deal with in the fight and that he’s “way better than that.” So, if “Gamebred” works his way to another fight with Usman, the champion said he will put on a show with a definite ending.
“I was unhappy because as much as I put into preparing for fights, I basically was just on autopilot that fight,” Usman said via BJPenn.com. “A lot of things played a factor in that fight. I’m way better than that. I have way more tools and skills to display than what I showed, because out there, I beat him with stuff I’ve been doing for five years.
“It’s me versus me out there,” Usman continued. “So, there’s a potential of that fight happening again if he works himself there, but I want to do it again because I want to put an exclamation on it. I want to finish him. I want to impress myself.”
GettyKamaru Usman kicks Jorge Masvidal in their UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 251 event.
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Usman Said He Broke His Nose Before the Masvidal Fight
During the interview, Usman revealed that he had broken his nose prior to the UFC 251 fight.
“Two weeks before, shattered,” he continued. “A lot of people haven’t dealt with a broken nose. When anything comes close to your face, you’re trying to defend and not get that nose hit. There are a couple of guys here who hit pretty hard. We can blame that one on Carrington Banks and Justin Gaethje.”
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Masvidal Hasn’t Been Scheduled for a Fight Since UFC 251
Since his failed title bid, Masvidal has been fairly quiet about his fighting future. However, last week Gamebred hinted at a potential return in the near future.
As for an opponent, he has been linked to a possible fight with No. 1 ranked Colby Covington. The two are former training partners who are now bitter rivals, and the winner of the bout could become the next challenger for the welterweight throne.
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