UFC 251: Jorge Masvidal promises more ‘super necessary’ punishment as Kamaru Usman crosses the line

There’s an air of menace Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal carries with him that pumps up PPV buys and puts bum on seats, a sense that even when the UFC welterweight is playing nice, things might soon turn nasty.

It was all on show again during Friday morning’s virtual media day in the lead up to UFC 251 and the 35-year-old Cuban-American’s moment of truth – Saturday’s shot at the belt currently held by Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (16-1).

The question had been innocuous enough – asking Masvidal (35-13) what he was like as a person outside the cage – and it began with a soft touch of sunshine.

“I’m not punching people in the face that are not pro fighters in real life,” smiled Masvidal of his life as an average Joe. “It’s not like I’m some kinda animal that’s just attacking people. If you don’t disrespect me, I won’t disrespect you. I gotta lot of love for every human being.”

Soon enough, though, things turned dark.

“It’s just in my sport there’s a lot of idiots and there’s only one way to deal with these idiots and these animals,” said Masvidal, as he smacked his right fist into his left palm, hard and loud.

Masvidal ‘out for himself’ after caving on fighter pay, says Usman

Masvidal’s rise from almost-retirement to the brink of a world title has lit up the UFC over the past 12 months and, if nothing else, provides a lesson in resilience, in having faith in the talent that your choice of god might give you.

By the end of 2017 he looked down and out after losing via unanimous decision to American Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (15-4-1) at UFC 217, making it a run of 0-2 and – on paper at least – hinting that Masvidal’s days as title contender may just have passed him by.

But Masvidal went away – for more than 12 months – and he did whatever it was that needed to be done. He came back, went 3-0, and here we are, looking to Abu Dhabi and that title shot.

“It’s amazing, it truly is,” he said of his rise back into contention. “I had a good year to myself to reset my mind, to get everything right together in my head, body, soul spirit and to come back and give it my all again. It’s just amazing that the world has taken notice this time.”

How could it not.

Masvidal returned in 2019 and went unbeaten – with three quite brutal finishes – as the buzz began to build, and the cameras (and the fans) fell in love with the one-time street fighter all over again.

Masvidal’s five-second demolition of previously unbeaten American Ben “Funky” Askren (19-2) – the rush forward, the flying knee, the bone meeting bone, the knockout, and then a couple of extra “super necessary” punches to the face for good measure – made the man impossible to miss. From that moment on, the sense was a title shot was always going to come, and UFC boss Dana White gave the game away when doing what promoters do and cashing in on the hype with the staging, first, of the battle for the “BMF ” title against American Nate Diaz (20-12). The doctor brought an end to the punishment Masvidal was dishing out in that one.

That Masvidal has recently led the push for more pay for fighters has raised his stocks outside the cage, as much as it has among his fellow fighters. But – true to form – that goodwill has been put on ice when it comes to the 33-year-old Usman.

There’s been Twittering back and forth, accusations and insults – which has never been more part of the fight game than it is today. Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champ Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo (16-2) summed it all up recently when the American explained that “part of the game is being an entertainer as well.”

But the sense with Masvidal – real or imagined – is that he does take things personally. Whether he uses that purely for focus and motivation, or holds it down deep, only the fighter truly knows. But it makes for headlines and high drama and Masvidal was amping things up a notch on Friday.

“It’s never personal, always business,” he started.

And then, again, the menace came.

“But Usman for a fact has crossed lines that no other competitor I’ve fought has talked about,” said Masvidal. “He’s doing a lot of things that are going to cause him to get hurt in a very violent way.”

Masvidal has been fighting since he was a kid, first out on the streets of Miami, then for sketchy videos and on to organised – and legal – competitions. He now has 16 years as a pro behind him – “I got more KOs than a lot of these guys have victories,” he said – and believes the fact he has seen and done it all means Usman can bring no surprises, even though that fighter has widely been touted as an all-time great.

“I just keep reminding myself no matter how cool this is, it is just a fight,” Masivdal has said as the media day began.

And then, again, the menace came.

“If the ref trips on the way to stopping me and I get a couple of extra, extra punches I don’t mind,” said Masvidal, when predicting he would finish the fight. “I’m going to go into fast forward speed and truly send this guy into another planet.”