Jorge Masvidal is still not sold to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman as a forward.
Despite suffering a savage KO loss to Usman in their UFC 261 rematch last April, Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) said he felt comfortable in the slugfest before suffering a right-hand blister euthanized in round 2.
“Oh, I know he’s beatable,” Masvidal said on a recent episode of IMPAULSIVE with Logan Paul. “There isn’t a man alive who can’t be beaten. I took out the second round, the first round after I got up and started landing some big shots at him. The second knee – the first knee I threw, he knocked me down. With my second knee I hit him right there on the chest and my thigh caught him in the jaw, making him wobble a little. There’s nothing special about his feet. He may have gotten me, but he’s nothing special on his feet. He’s not on his feet like a real striker yet.”
Known for his wrestling, Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) has shown great progress in his hands since working with trainer Trevor Wittman, who also trains UFC Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas. The Nigerian Nightmare has KO’d Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Masvidal in three of its five title defenses.
In their first game against UFC 251, Usman wrestled mostly against short-term substitute Masvidal for a unanimous decision win, a feat he wasn’t happy with himself. However, Masvidal admits he was surprised by Usman’s change in approach when it came to their rematch.
“The first fight just put me against the fence and I couldn’t fucking let go,” said Masvidal. “The second fight, I think it’s takedown after takedown after takedown. I was good at stuffing the takedowns and then, boom, I switched it on me. So I definitely feel like the constant problem I’ve had throughout my career is that my wrestling isn’t 100 percent there yet.
After back-to-back losses to Usman, Masvidal fought another decorated wrestler in Covington, former best friend-turned-foe, at UFC 272 in March. Though Masvidal Covington rocked the fight, he was controlled on the floor for the majority in a lopsided decision loss.