'He wasn't happy with the way he whipped that guy' - manager reveals why Kamaru Usman accepted Jorge Masvidal rematch
Kamaru Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has explained how the decision for Usman to fight Jorge Masvidal next was made.
Usman managed to dispatch teammate Gilbert Burns back at UFC 258 with a ruthless performance that saw him overcome early adversity to retain his belt. After the fight, Usman made it crystal clear that he’d like to run it back with Masvidal in a rematch of their UFC 251 welterweight title fight.
That bout had taken place on short notice in Abu Dhabi. Usman ended up controlling the entire contest and won via unanimous decision.
Alas, many fans and media members alike weren’t particularly pleased with the win, and according to Ali, neither was The Nigerian Nightmare.
“February 15th I had the privilege of watching the king and king maker @USMAN84kg and @danawhite sit and talk," Abdelaziz tweeted.
"Kamaru wasn’t satisfied with the way he whipped that guy and wanted to rectify it. He asked and Dana granted this is who made this happen."
The timeline provided by Abdelaziz seems to imply that Usman met with White on Monday, 15th February, which would’ve been just two days after his big win over Burns.
Usman and Masvidal are set to run it back at UFC 261
Many fans believe that Usman has well and truly cleaned out the division, with Stephen Thompson being the only man towards the top of the pile that hasn’t received a shot at him yet. That said, Masvidal getting another crack at the gold is an intriguing proposition.
Masvidal believes he has a lot more left in the artillery that he could not showcase at UFC 251, mainly because he didn’t have the right amount of time to prepare.
Whether you believe that or not, there is seemingly no stopping Dana White from booking this fight.
It’s set to go down at UFC 261 next month in Jacksonville, which is potentially a landmark event for the UFC. The reason for that is simple - White has announced that this is going to be the first event back since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at which there will be a full crowd in attendance.