There is a lot of momentum right now around what’s next for the top of the UFC‘s welterweight division. Last weekend, Kamaru Usman (18-1) defended his title against Gilbert Burns (19-4) in the main event of UFC 258.
Usman put on a brilliant performance and got the finish in the third round. After the fight was over, Usman said he’d fight anybody, but there was one name he wanted more than others. That name is Jorge Masvidal (35-14).
Masvidal and Usman fought back at UFC 251 on short notice. Usman grinded out a decision win, but it’s clear that he’s not happy with the way he won. Masvidal is a massive star and Usman wants to get a finish in the rematch.
The UFC had been trying to book Masvidal against Colby Covington (16-2). The promotion also wanted them to coach The Ultimate Fighter. However, Masvidal was not a fan of coaching the show against Covington. He wanted to fight him, but he didn’t want to coach with him.
Usman is a different story and Masvidal’s management has already told the UFC they’d coach against Usman. This week, per ESPN, Usman and his manager met with Dana White. They made it clear that they want the UFC‘s BMF next.
UFC booking Usman – Masvidal 2?
Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN, “Jorge Masvidal is a star, you can’t take that away from him, but we believe Kamaru will go out and put a nail in the coffin this time. Kamaru and Dana sat down and on our end, we’re all for it. Dana is the boss and he makes the decisions, but I think Dana is showing him the respect of giving him what he wants. It makes sense for everybody.”
UFC 251, which was headlined by Usman and Masvidal, did 1.3 million PPV buys. There’s no questioning the star power of Masvidal and I believe that Usman and his reps know it’s the biggest fight for them right now.
There’s also the storyline of how the first fight was on short notice and how a full camp might make things different. Add that to a season of The Ultimate Fighter on ESPN and you have massive potential for the rematch.
There is no deal in place right now, but there is a lot of momentum towards the UFC getting this done. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get official word from Dana White by UFC 259 that Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal will be rematching and coaching TUF.