Watch: Jorge Masvidal intensifies training for Kamaru Usman rematch at UFC 261
Jorge Masvidal is training hard to hand Kamaru Usman his first UFC loss at UFC 261. Masvidal recently posted a training video on his Twitter account in which he is training as a man possessed at the famed American Top Team. The training video has come after Gamebred tweeted a short clip from the movie Rocky 3 with the caption '#andnew' alluding to his confidence to pull off an upset win against the champ on April 24.
No.4 ranked UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal ( 35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) is scheduled to fight the undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) at UFC 261 pay-per-view event on April 24, 2021. The fight is the rematch of the first fight that Usman won by unanimous decision at the UFC 251 pay-per-view event. The rivalry between Usman and Masvidal has not subsided after the fight. Both fighters have routinely traded shots on social media in the past few months.
Jorge Masvidal was rumored to feature as a coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter - against former teammate and No.1 ranked welterweight Colby Covington. The eventual showdown between the former teammates was expected to determine the next challenger for the UFC gold. However, following Kamaru Usman's callout of Masvidal after defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 resulted in the high-profile booking between the fierce rivals.
Kamaru Usman is a heavy favorite heading into the Jorge Masvidal rematch at UFC 261
Kamaru Usman defeated Jorge Masvidal quite handily in their first fight and scored a dominant unanimous decision win. The champ made effective use of clinch fighting and his patented wrestling to nullify all of Masvidal's tools. However, the fight was a short-notice booking that took place on a six-day notice. Jorge Masvidal has argued that the fight will have a different outcome if he comes in prepared with a full training camp.
Still, Jorge Masvidal is a heavy +300 betting underdog heading into the rematch against the -400 favorite champ. The reason behind the lopsided betting odds is Masvidal's fighting style. Masvidal is skilled in striking as well as grappling. However, Masvidal lacks the necessary expertise to compete against the ultra-specialists of either discipline at the highest level.
It has caused Masvidal to fall short in the most crucial fights in his career. His most recent losses against the striking genius in Stephen Thompson and grappling aces Demian Maia and Kamaru Usman are a testimony to that.
However, none of these fighters could impose the level of dominance on Masvidal that they are typically known for. The Margin of victory for each round was significantly lower against Gamebred compared to some of their other performances. It gives Masvidal a fairly decent chance to make the necessary adjustments and defeat Kamaru Usman at UFC 261.