Jorge Masvidal fired multiple verbal shots at Kamaru Usman, in their well now documented, run-in this week at a Super Bowl event. But, according to the UFC’s welterweight champ, the incident shows Masvidal isn’t so certain he wants to fight him after all.

Usman comments on his run-in with Masvidal

Both Masvidal and Usman were on hand for a media event on Wednesday in Miami, which was being held to promote the Super Bowl. As soon as the growing rivals saw each other, things went off the rails, and both men hurled warnings at each other.

Since there’s been plenty of talk lately about Masvidal and Usman fighting, however, some people questioned whether the incident may have been staged, and or embellished. After all, video footage of Usman and Masvidal quickly fired around the internet, and there’s no question that there’s more buzz now about the two fighting.

Well, while talking to TMZ about the exchange, Usman denied that anything he did was planned or played up (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“No, that’s fake on his part,” Usman says. “I wasn’t here for that. I was here to do some media. I had a whole day jam-packed with media stuff to get done, but this guy wanted 10 seconds of fame. That’s what happens. They all want to come to champ and say, ‘Hey, look at me, look at me. Pay attention to me,’ and that’s all he wanted to do, and now we’re actually talking about him, so he got his point across because he had the camera guy. You saw that?

“He had a camera guy with him. He had what, like five or six guys with him. I was dolo. I’m at the whole media day, and what better way to do it than a room full of the world’s media. Come on, bro.”

“If he wanted to do something, if you really wanted the smoke, you said it yourself, you have the best sucker punch in the game, and the best 40-yard dash after that, so you had a clear line to me,” Usman said. “I was five feet away from you. If you wanted to do something, you could have did it, but he didn’t because he was all talk.”

Now, obviously Masvidal boosters will likely have a different take on this. After all, Masvidal got into it with Leon Edwards backstage last year.

Will we see Usman – Masvidal get signed soon?

The drama aside, it just seems like all signs are pointing to this fight happening. Masvidal has also been pushing for a bout with Conor McGregor, but the star hasn’t gone out of his way to get that fight really. Further, Dana White hasn’t mentioned Masvidal vs. McGregor as a possibility, following the latter’s win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: