"One guy was gonna baptize me, the other guy was gonna put me in a stretcher" - Kamaru Usman on "chaotic" preparation for Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington rematches
Kamaru Usman has faced both Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington twice inside the octagon and knows very well what both men bring to the table in a fight. Both Covington and Masvidal are known to have polarizing personas. They are quite adept at using trash talk to get inside their opponents' heads ahead of fights.
Having to deal with that on four separate occasions over the past few years has apparently been "chaotic" for 'The Nigerian Nightmare'. Usman explained it was mentally taxing for him to prepare for the various aspects of those four fights.
Having said that, he takes pride in having overcome the hurdles put in front of him on every single occasion. Despite having a pair of wins each over both Masvidal and Covington, Usman claims he's a fan of both fighters and is looking forward to watching them fight next weekend.
During a recent interaction with ESPN's Karyn Bryant and former UFC star Rashad Evans, Usman said:
"It was definitely a very chaotic moment having to prepare for these guys. Not only their athleticism, not only their skills but also the trash talk...One guy was going to baptize me, the other guy was going to put me in a stretcher so, you know, it was very chaotic mentally preparing for these fights but being able to prepare for those fights and get over that hurdle and actually achieve victory, you share something with these guys and I'm honest being honest when I say I am a fan of, maybe not the biggest fan but I'm a fan of both guys and i can't wait to watch that fight next saturday night."
Check out Usman's comments below:
Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington look to settle their rivalry at UFC 272
Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington will settle their rivalry in the main event of UFC 272 on March 5. The pay-per-view will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Nothing sells like bad-blood in MMA and this welterweight matchup has just that written all over it.
Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were friends, roommates, and teammates at the American Top Team Gym back in the day. However, their friendship later turned sour. Not only do the pair not see eye-to-eye anymore, they are itching to get their hands on one another once that octagon door slams shut behind them next weekend.
Both Masvidal and Covington are also heading into the fight on the back of defeats to Kamaru Usman and will be looking to get back to winning ways.