Dana White reveals if Jorge Masvidal will be defending the BMF Title at UFC 251
Will Jorge Masvidal defend his BMF Title this weekend at UFC 251?
In his last UFC fight, Jorge Masvidal won the BMF Championship in the main event of UFC 244 when he beat Nate Diaz via doctor's stoppage in a controversial conclusion to their highly-anticipated Welterweight bout.
'Gamebred' will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time since his fight against Nate Diaz and fight fans have been questioning if Masvidal's BMF Title will be on the line at UFC 251.
UFC President Dana White addressed the question while speaking to TMZ Sports in a recent interview and claimed that the title will NOT be on the line when Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman cross paths in the Octagon this weekend.
White further added that the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion has been texting him constantly and asking why the BMF Championship will not be on the line, as Usman is willing to take Masvidal's BMF Title away as well. (H/T: MMA Junkie)
“It is not on the line. Usman wants it to be on the line so bad, he will not stop texting me saying, ‘I don’t understand why this belt isn’t on the line. This guy’s running around saying he’s the ‘BMF’ champ. I want to squash it all. He’s not going to win my title, and I’m going take his ‘BMF’ belt.’ Believe me, Usman has not stopped terrorizing me about this. That was like a one-and-done, the ‘BMF’ title.”-White told TMZ.
Kamaru Usman was originally scheduled to face Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 251, however, the latter was forced to pull out of the event after contracting the coronavirus.
As Burns' replacement, Jorge Masvidal stepped in on a week's notice and will now be challenging for the UFC Welterweight Championship in the UFC 251 headliner.
When is UFC 251 and what's in store for the Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman headliner?
UFC 251 is scheduled for 11th July [12 July, at 7.30 AM (IST)] and takes place at the historic UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The card will feature three title fights, with the UFC Featherweight and Bantamweight Championships also on the line.
The main card will also feature other notable fighters such as Rose Namajunas, Amanda Ribas, Jessica Andrade, and Paige VanZant. The headliner will be between Jorge Masvidal and Kamru Usman.