The rematch between the UFC welterweight champion and The BMF is on. Well, it’s on at least according to Jorge Masvidal (35-14). Last night, Masvidal broke the news to Boxing Social after his commentating gig at the Canelo Alvarez fight.
Masvidal told the outlet that the matchup between himself and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (18-1) will take place in September. This fits the UFC‘s ideal timeline factoring in The Ultimate Fighter. A couple of weeks ago, the promotion had serious momentum building towards Masvidal – Usman 2.
However, Usman came out and said he was losing interest and the fight appeared to be in trouble. The promotion was wanting the two of them to be the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter then have their rematch after the season.
The UFC is planning to start the filming of TUF in the early summer. Usually, the show takes about six or seven weeks to film. After that, if you factor in a full training camp, September would sound about right for Usman and Masvidal.
UFC rematch the world wants to see
The two men originally fought last year on Fight Island at UFC 251. In early 2020, the matchup between the two was being hyped before it was finalized. However, the UFC couldn’t come to terms with Masvidal to make the fight happen.
The promotion ultimately shifted to Gilbert Burns. However, when Burns tested positive for COVID, the UFC turned back to Masvidal. The fight took place on one week’s notice and Usman would go on to win a decision.
Given the circumstances of the first fight, the rematch should be an easy sell. Kamaru Usman is a dominant champion while Masvidal is still one of the biggest stars in the sport. The first fight leaves room for clarity considering the short-notice nature.
Now, it appears that the UFC is close to finalizing the rematch for later in the year. It’s going to take some patience from fans considering the fight is months away, but factoring in TUF, the world should be buzzing by the time the rematch actually happens.