Jorge Masvidal felt "unreal, unnatural" change in Kamaru Usman's power within a span of nine months
BMF champion Jorge Masvidal opened up about his only knockout loss, in the rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 261. 'Gamebred' spoke to SHAK MMA where he detailed the 'hard downward spiral' he experienced after the loss.
Masvidal also spoke about Kamaru Usman's 'unnatural power', something that he didn't feel the former welterweight champion had nine months prior at UFC 251.
Here's what Jorge Masvidal said:
"You know, it turned into, like a very hard downward spiral for me. I fought Kamaru Usman nine months before that, and I felt his best shots after having cut 20 pounds, flew all the way to Abu Dhabi. You know, it was like, 'This guy will never f*****g hurt me, like he's just not born with that "umph". And, lo and behold, nine months later he has unreal, unnatural power."
Skip to 7:21 for Jorge Masvidal on Kamaru Usman's punching power at UFC 261:
'Gamebred' continued:
"You know, power is not [something he has] in the punching department that comes overnight, you know? So, it's very, very surreal and I just thought - out of all the people - because, if I had never fought Usman and then I got, you know, clipped by him, it'd be different. It'd be like, 'Ah, I didn't really fully understand his power. But after having five rounds with him, I just didn't think that he could ever be the guy to knock me out."
Jorge Masvidal is scheduled to face No.5-ranked Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287. The event will take place in his native Miami, Florida, at the Miami-Dade arena.
The event will be headlined by middleweight champion Alex Pereira in a title rematch against former champion Israel Adesanya.
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Will Jorge Masvidal retire if he loses at UFC 287?
Jorge Masvidal hinted at a possible retirement should he lose against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. On the UFC 287 countdown, he said that his fight with 'Durinho' in the co-main event could pretty much 'be the last one'.
Here's what 'Gamebred' said:
"This could be the last one. If I lose, Iām pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and I do everything right, Iām going for it all. For one title, or many titles."
Masvidal is currently on a three-fight losing-streak after having one of the best runs of his career, winning the BMF title. He faced Kamaru Usman twice, losing the first via decision, and the second via a second-round KO. In his last match, he faced friend-turned-foe Colby Covington in a bitter grudge match, which he lost via unanimous decision.
The UFC 287 fight with Gilbert Burns could very well determine the fate of Masvidal's fighting career inside the octagon.
Check out of the UFC 287 countdown: