UFC 251: Jorge Masvidal insists he has ‘formula’ to beat Kamaru Usman in rematch
- ‘Gamebred’ reflects on welterweight champion Usman’s wrestling-heavy performance – ‘I made a lot of mistakes’
- Masvidal felt he ‘let a lot of people down’ with his display – ‘I wanna take his head off even more now’
“I hate coming up short. I’m not gonna make excuses. He was the better man tonight,” “Gamebred” Masvidal said at the post-fight press conference on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (17-1) is considered one of the best wrestlers in the entire UFC roster.
“There were some areas where I didn’t give him enough credit, and some where I felt – with a better training camp – I could definitely surpass him. I showed my wrestling on six days’ notice, I’m not too easy to take down or hold on the ground,” Masvidal said.
“I made a lot of mistakes, and tried to fight in spots since I didn’t feel my gas tank was the greatest … he was able to get in the clinch and take it back into his world. But I’m not gonna take nothing away from him. He won fair and square. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back in front of that man and get my hand raised.”
The Cuban-American Masvidal conceded that the 33-year-old Usman – who is now on a 12-fight win streak in the UFC – had an “OK” jab and impressive level-changing and fence-leaning techniques. Despite stuffing several takedowns, Masvidal was nonetheless disappointed with his performance.