UFC 251: Jorge Masvidal promises more ‘super necessary’ punishment as Kamaru Usman crosses the line
- ‘It’s never personal, it’s always business,’ says Masvidal, but there’s a menace lurking within the man
- ‘Gamebred’ warns welterweight champ Usman ‘he’s doing a lot of things that are going to cause him to get hurt in a very violent way’
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.