Kamaru Usman admits to being "super nervous" ahead of first fight against Jorge Masvidal: "I’m like, ‘Oh sh*t, is he gonna baptize me'"
Kamaru Usman had a lengthy reign as welterweight champion that included five title defenses. The second of his defenses came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 back in 2020, which was the first card held at 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' recently revealed that he entered the bout with nerves following 'Gamebred's' pre-fight comments.
Speaking to Masvidal who appeared as a guest on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman stated:
"Maybe a year later you and I fight, middle of the corona[virus pandemic]. You fly all the way over and take the fight and I will have to say for one of the first times - of course we get nervous for every fight - for one of the first times it got to me. Everything around me got to me because they're playing your viral knockout - one of the most viral knockouts ever - they're playing that thing every freaking minute on every channel, everywhere, all the socials, everywhere."
Usman added:
"I'm seeing this everyday and they're asking me every interview, 'how are you going to deal with this?' And I'm watching your interviews and you're, 'I'm going to baptize this guy' and it f**king gets to me. I'm like, 'oh s**t, is he going to baptize me?' And I'm in the hotel and I'm super nervous for this. Especially that moment before you go to the arena for the fight and I'm in my room just like, 'why the f**k am I so nervous right now? Get it together.' I would say that was probably one of the most nerve-wrecking fights that I had."
Check out Kamaru Usman's full comments on his first clash with Jorge Masvidal below:
Usman went on to win the UFC 251 clash via unanimous decision. Masvidal's performance on less than a week's notice earned him a rematch at UFC 261 just under a year later, with 'The Nigerian Nightmare' once again retaining his title via a highlight reel second-round knockout that earned Knockout of the Year Honors.
Kamaru Usman was reportedly ready to face Robert Whittaker on short notice
Robert Whittaker appeared set to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC on ABC 6, which will mark the promotion's first trip to Saudi Arabia. 'Borz', however, was forced to withdraw from the bout with an undisclosed illness, leaving the UFC in scramble mode. While Ikram Aliskerov was ultimately named as the replacement, Ali Abdelaziz claimed that Kamaru Usman accepted the bout.
In response to a fan who claimed 'The Nigerian Nightmare' and Sean Strickland both turned down the short notice opportunity, the No.1-ranked welterweight's manager claimed:
"@USMAN84kg sad yes 💯💯💯"
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's tweet on Kamaru Usman accepting clash with Robert Whittaker below:
Usman has not competed since stepping in on short notice to make his middleweight debut and face Chimaev at UFC 294 last October. While he was ready to accept another short-notice opportunity at 185 pounds, fans will have to wait to see the former welterweight champion back in the octagon.