UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has confirmed that UFC president Dana White is working on a match-up with Jorge Masvidal.
Usman destroyed Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington’s jaw at UFC 245 to take weltwerweight gold.
And there has been speculation as to who the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ will face next, with Masvidal, Conor McGregor and Leon Edwards all potential opponents.
But Usman has now confirmed that the forerunner for his next fight is Masvidal, and says as far as Dana White is concerned, ‘Gamebred’ will be his next opponent.
‘Jorge Is The Next Guy’
Talking to the JRE podcast, Usman told Joe Rogan that once his fist has healed from the brutal assault on Chaos in December, he’ll be looking towards a fight with Masvidal.
He said: “Give me a month and let this thing heal up.”
“I can make a fist now.”
“I’m cracking.”
“Dana said they really want Jorge.”
“Jorge is the next guy.”
Win Streaks
Masvidal will go into the fight on the back of three consecutive wins.
He knocked out Darren Till and Ben Askren before defeating Nate Diaz via TKO at UFC 244.
Gamebred’s 5 second knockout against Askren is the fastest in UFC history.
Usman on the other hand is on an 11 fight winning streak in the UFC.
‘No Rush’
Masvidal recently revealed that he’d rather fight McGregor first as the fight would generate more money.
Gamebred said the welterweight title ‘will always be there’, and would be swayed more by a big paycheck than winning UFC gold.
But the 35-year-old has said he doesn’t think ‘Notorious’ is ready to fight him, so will go after Usman’s title instead.
Speaking on McGregor, Masvidal told ESPN: “There are certain things he said on the microphone like he doesn’t feel he’s up to speed and needs to work on this or that.”
“Go back in there, there’s no rush.”
“When you feel you’re ready for it, let’s do it.”
“I’ll go f*** up Usman, meanwhile.”
Possibilities
McGregor’s emphatic 40-second knockout win over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC 246 also put him in contention for a title challenge.
With numerous potential match-ups, 2020 is sure to be a stellar year for UFC fans.
Will we see a new welterweight champion in the coming months?
(Featured image source: Youtube/ ESPN MMA and Bloody Elbow)