UFC 251

UFC is close to finalizing Kamaru Usman – Jorge Masvidal for UFC 251’s main event

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The UFC is close to finalizing the welterweight title fight that the fans have been anxious to see this entire year. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that the UFC is progressing in talks to book Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Jorge Masvidal (35-13) for next week’s UFC 251 card on Fight Island.

The UFC is making a push

Late Friday evening, the UFC heard some bad news as top contender, Gilbert Burns, tested positive for COVID-19. After Masvidal’s contract negotiations fell apart to fight Usman for the UFC title, the surging Burns got the shot. Following the news of Burns’ positive test, the UFC went into scramble mode. The likes of Masvidal and Colby Covington were both offering to step in.

Masvidal was supposed to fight Usman from the very beginning. Masvidal was asked initially to take less money which is why the conversation fell apart. Burns in-return got the shot at Usman. However, the UFC came back to the table with Masvidal looking to make a deal after the Burns fight fell through. Helwani reported this morning that both Usman and Masvidal are on their way to Las Vegas.

The fight that always should have happened

One has to feel bad for Burns. Burns’ winning streak earned him a title shot, but now his shot is no longer guaranteed. After Burns tested positive, the UFC has put the full-court press on to make Usman/Masvidal for next week’s PPV on Yas Island. If the fight is remotely competitive, you might see the two men fight twice given that Masvidal is stepping up on one week’s notice.

If this fight does get finalized today, next week’s card is being given a massive bump. While Burns is insanely talented, he’s not the star that Jorge Masvidal is. Masvidal fighting Usman is way bigger for the event than Usman fighting Burns. There are still some hurdles to overcome including COVID testing and required quarantine periods before the two men land on Yas Island, but I’m pretty confident that barring any hiccups, Kamaru Usman will be fighting Jorge Masvidal next Saturday night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK9rkmAs2UE

 

UFC: Masvidal willing to step in for Burns, will the UFC make it happen?

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Late Friday evening, next week’s UFC 251 card took a massive hit. The main event was taken out by a positive COVID-19 test from welterweight challenger, Gilbert Burns. UFC champion, Kamaru Usman, did not board the charter flight to Fight Island after the news came out. There is no official word from the UFC yet, but the original number one contender has voiced his interest in stepping in.

What will the UFC do?

No disrespect to Gilbert Burns, but this title shot always belonged to Jorge Masvidal. After Masvidal was named fighter of the year in 2019, he earned the title shot. There was so much heat between him and Usman that the fight was guaranteed to sell. However, the negotiations went south when Masvidal was expected to take less money for the title fight than he received for the BMF fight against Nate Diaz.

Negotiations spilled out into the public and Burns was given the shot over Masvidal. Now, Gamebred is saying that he will step in on a week’s notice to take the fight. The question is, will the UFC make it happen? Will the UFC pony up the money it will take for Masvidal to get the shot?

Anything is possible, but my guess is no. If the UFC couldn’t make the fight happen over the course of months of negotiations, I don’t think they will make a last minute fight happen. I think they will be content with rescheduling Burns/Usman for a later date. I hope I’m wrong because I believe that Masvidal deserves to be in that main event spot.

BREAKING: Gilbert Burns out of UFC 251 headliner after testing positive for COVID-19

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UFC 251 has taken a hit as Gilbert Burns (19-3) has tested positive for COVID-19. Burns was set to take on welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), on Fight Island next Saturday night. MMA Junkie was the first to report the news late Friday evening.

Tough blow for the UFC and Burns

Burns was on the cusp of cementing his status as UFC male fighter of the year. Burns entered 2020 as a solid welterweight contender, but after dominant wins over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley, it was apparent that Burns was championship material.

Kamaru Usman was originally scheduled to take on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251. However, contract negotiations fell apart. The surging Burns jumped at the opportunity to take on his now former teammate Usman. Burns became the top ranked welterweight and was given the shot.

What happens next?

As of now, nothing has been announced from the UFC so there is no real idea on what comes next. The likely scenario is that we will see the fight get rebooked for later this year. Perhaps next month on the same card as Cormier/Miocic 3 or perhaps it gets pushed back to September. No matter what, this is a tough blow to next week’s first card on Fight Island. With this news, the featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway will slide into the main event slot.

I do wonder if the UFC tries to revisit the Masvidal fight now that the Burns fight has fallen through. The Masvidal fight had a ton of heat behind it, and it would sell very well. It is unlikely that the UFC would pass over Burns in favor of Masvidal, but it wouldn’t be completely surprising. I still think the likely scenario will be that we see Burns and Usman fight in either August or September.

UFC: Colby Covington tells Dana White he’ll “Take care of Street Judas Masvidal”

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UFC, Colby Covington

Former UFC interim welterweight champion, Colby Covington (15-2), isn’t shy about calling out anyone in the UFC. Covington has made a name for himself over the last few years as someone who talks a lot of trash, but he goes in and backs it up. Covington was recently interviewed by BJPenn.com and he was very open about calling out another top welterweight.

“I know Dana’s having a dispute with ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal right now… Hey Dana, you know who to call. Call me, bro. I’ll finish ‘Street Judas’ off. I’ll send that dude to the morgue, he won’t ever fight again. He’s got the BMF title but that’s not even a real title, it’s a participation trophy. He’s really got the SMF title right now. The saddest motherfcker, or the scaredest motherfcker. It wasn’t a money issue, it was a scared issue.”

The trouble between Masvidal and the UFC

It’s been no secret that the UFC has been having trouble with the BMF, Jorge Masvidal (35-13). Masvidal was originally slated to fight Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title next week, but he’s been in a public dispute with the company regarding revenue sharing. Gilbert Burns was able to get the title shot due to the failed negotiations.

Now, Masvidal is sitting on the sidelines with no opponent. Recently, I wrote about a few possible fights for Masvidal as he sits on the sidelines. The fight that makes the most sense for the division is Covington. The two men were once as close as brothers, but they have turned bitter rivals. Both taking every chance they get to throw shade at the other.

The Perfect Matchup

After Covington lost his title fight to Usman in December, he has yet to find an opponent. Masvidal is looking to fight someone who will generate a nice payday for him. This sets up perfectly for the two of them. Masvidal/Covington would be a big fight that the UFC could make for later in the summer. If the fight were to take place, it would setup the winner to fight the winner of the July title fight between Usman and Burns.

The more personal a fight is, the more it sells. Masvidal has developed into a star over the last year, and you know that Covington knows how to sell a fight. Not sure if the fight will actually come together, but it would solve a lot of problems that are currently going on in that division. I believe the UFC is going to figure everything out, but this would be a great place to start.

UFC: Gilbert Burns looking to cement his fighter of the year status on July 11th

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Entering 2020, not a lot of people were thinking about Gilbert Burns (19-3) as a top contender in the UFC‘s welterweight division. Sure, Burns had won four fights in a row, but his best win came against Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 160. While that’s a quality win, nobody was putting him on that elite level. Burns got his first shot to prove his eliteness back in March against Demian Maia (28-10).

Gilbert Burns UFC Ascension

Burns responded by knocking out Maia in the first round. It was clear that Burns was ready for the next step. Burns was calling out top competition after his win, and the UFC gave him what he asked for. Burns was slated to fight former champion, Tyron Woodley (19-5-1), in May. Many people (including myself) thought a motivated Woodley would win the fight. However, from the opening minute, it became very evident that those pundits were wrong.

Burns ran through Woodley as if the former UFC champion didn’t even belong in the cage with Burns. “Durinho” has completely taken off in 2020. Burns is elite on the ground, and he’s become incredibly dangerous on his feet with a fantastic combination of speed and power. Following the win, Burns called out his now former teammate and current UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1). Usman was initially scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal, but contract disputes nixed that fight. Burns got the shot at UFC 251 instead.

2020 Male Fighter of the Year (So Far)

In the span of four months, Burns has the opportunity to go from being a top ten welterweight to being the best in the world. The run that Burns is on is truly remarkable. Now, winning the UFC title is not going to be easy. Usman is extremely well-rounded himself with a very strong wrestling game. It’ll be interesting to see the grappling exchanges with a top level wrestler and a top level jiu jitsu practitioner.

ESPN released their mid-year awards and named Burns the Co-Fighter of the Year along with lightweight Justin Gaethje. No disrespect to Gaethje, but this award belongs to Burns. Two incredibly dominant wins, and now he has the chance to win the title in July. If Burns can beat Kamaru Usman next week, he could step away until January and still win 2020 male fighter of the year in the UFC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WITvWTmUYxc

UFC: Rose Namajunas on finding the love again for MMA; “This is what I love to do… I’m a martial artist”

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The last year few years have been eventful for the former UFC strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas (8-4). After suffering some early setbacks in her career, she shocked the world by knocking out Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 to win the title. She cemented her status after defeating Jedrzejczyk a second time at UFC 223. However, Namajunas fell on tough times following that fight.

The week of UFC 223, Conor McGregor’s infamous bus attack occurred. Namajunas was on the bus, and she was visibly shaken by the event. Following her win that weekend, she stepped away from the sport for a year. She was struggling with a few things, and she was struggling to find the passion for the sport. She returned at UFC 237 against Jessica Andrade (20-7). After dominating early, Namajunas was knocked out by a vicious slam.

It was unclear if Namajunas would fight again after that loss. Conventional wisdom would say that of course a former champion entering her prime would fight again, but Namajunas was struggling to love the sport that she was so great at. However, recently she found the spark again, and she told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani all about it.

Coming back for her UFC title

“This is what I love to do…I’m a martial artist.” Namajunas told Helwani. While she said she doesn’t miss what she went through as champion, she stated that she did miss having the title. Realistically a win at UFC 251 puts her in line to fight champion Weili Zhang (21-1). When asked about the current champ, Namajunas only had the highest of praise.

“I’d love to fight her one day. She’s a true martial artist…Like, she’s the sh*t,” Namajunas told Helwani. I really believe that Namajunas is a better fighter than Jessica Andrade. No disrespect to Andrade, but she was getting absolutely dominated before that slam knockout. If that slam doesn’t occur, I don’t think Andrade would have lasted the entire fight.

When she returns, I’m expecting big things from Namajunas at UFC 251. I think when she’s mentally on, it’s hard to bet against her. I think she’s got all the advantages against Andrade outside of pure strength. A motivated Namajunas is a dangerous woman, I think she’s going to show her greatness on Fight Island this July. If she takes care of business, I can’t wait for the potential fight between her and the champion, Zhang.

UFC: Jorge Masvidal is expecting to fight in 2020

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The MMA world is wondering what is next for the UFC‘s BMF. Jorge Masvidal has been sitting on the sidelines since last November after winning the BMF title at UFC 244 capping off his incredible 2019. He was originally scheduled to fight for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 251, but contract negotiations saw the fight get scrapped. Earlier this week, I wrote about what could be next for Masvidal. However, I stated in that article that the one question that is still unanswered is whether or not Gamebred will fight this year. He took to his YouTube page to give his answer on the question.

UFC’s BMF is planning on a fight in 2020

Masvidal stated that he is fully planning on fighting at some point this year. In his video, he talks about the fact that his management team has come up with a formula for what he’s worth, and he won’t fight for less. The UFC has been keeping the show rolling with fights almost every week since early May. However, Masvidal has expressed his frustrations with the UFC‘s lack of interest in giving him the money he deserves to fight for the title. The offer that was on the table to fight Kamaru Usman for the title was not enough which is why Gilbert Burns is fighting on July 11th and not Masvidal

Gamebred responds to Dana White

In another video, Masvidal talked about UFC president, Dana White. He talked about how White’s job is to make the most money for the UFC while Masvidal’s job is to make the most money for himself. With that in mind, the two, “Won’t always see eye to eye.” Masvidal sounded more optimistic about fighting in these videos than his tweets over the past few weeks. I think the two sides are still far away from any form of an agreement, but I do think one will come together. The UFC has shown over the years that they can strike a deal with the most difficult fighters. The Diaz brothers and Tito Ortiz are prime examples. I think the two sides will meet in the middle, and we will see Gamebred near the end of 2020 perhaps getting the winner of Usman/Burns.

UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, changes camps ahead of UFC 251

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One of the more interesting storylines going into UFC 251 was the fact that champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), and challenger, Gilbert Burns (19-3), both were training partners. The two men have trained together for a while under Henri Hooft at Hard Knocks 365. Well, just weeks before the two teammates square off, Usman has decided to leave the camp, and the state of Florida.

Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC welterweight champion will be moving his camp to Denver. He’s going to be training under Trevor Wittman who is the lead trainer for Justin Gaethje and Rose Namajunas. Namajunas is also fighting on the July 11th card. Wittman is notorious for only working with a few fighters. He likes to give all of his attention to his select fighters. Justin Gaethje might be in the corner for Usman’s title defense against Burns.

The UFC welterweight champ could get even better

“But I wanted a little more specific attention at this point in my career — someone to be able to say, ‘You’re going to come in at this time and work on this particular skill.’ It’s very tough to do that when there are 40 to 50 guys in the room with you who also need to get attention,” Usman said to Okamoto. Again, Wittman is very focused on his particular fighters, and this move will likely benefit the champion. Plus, it doesn’t hurt having a training partner like the great Justin Gaethje.

I cannot wait for the UFC welterweight title fight on July 11th. I’m very curious to see how Usman looks in his first camp outside of Florida. We know that Usman is already elite, but working with a coach like Trevor Wittman could take him to the next level. It’s going to be a fun month culminating in a big-time fight at UFC 251.

UFC: Most intriguing and under the radar fights on Fight Island

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UFC, Dana White

Next month, the UFC will be taking over Abu Dhabi for four events in just 14 days. The UFC kicks off Fight Island with the best card of the year at UFC 251. That card features three title fights including the headliner between Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Gilbert Burns (19-3) for the welterweight title. All of the cards are absolutely stacked on Fight Island. With that in mind, let’s look at an under the radar fight from each of the first four cards in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 251 – July 11th

The card on July 11th is absolutely sick. Three title fights and a rematch between the top two female strawweights in the world all on the main card. However, there is a light heavyweight matchup that I’m extremely interested in. That would be the matchup between former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir (17-4), and the Rizin light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1).

While a lot of people might not know him, Prochazka is one of the more exciting signings that the UFC has made in a while. He enters the UFC on a ten-fight winning streak including nine knockouts. He’s finished his last eight opponents including seven in the first round. Oezdemir has won back-to-back fights after losing three in a row. He’s looking to get back to a title shot, and a win might get him there. A win for either one of these men will vault them into the title discussion at 205. Jon Jones’ future in the division is in question. If he continues to fight, he’s likely going to be moving to heavyweight soon. The light heavyweight division could be on the verge of becoming wide open.

UFC on ESPN 13 – July 15th

Just a few days after UFC 251, we get a rare Wednesday night card that will be headlined between Calvin Kattar (21-4) and Dan Ige (14-2). There are a number of great fights including a strawweight matchup between Carla Esparza (16-6) and Marina Rodriguez (12-0-2). However, the one fight that somehow is flying under the radar is the co-main event between Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) and Pedro Munhoz (18-4).

“The Answer” is going to be making his bantamweight debut against one of the best guys in the world. The former lightweight champion is still trying to get back to UFC gold after losing his title years ago. Edgar dropped to featherweight, and had three title shots in his run there. He lost all three which has resulted in him dropping one more time to bantamweight. Edgar was very small at lightweight, small at featherweight, but will finally fit in at 135 pounds. Just like with everything in Edgar’s career, he’s jumping right in with the sharks in his debut.

Prior to his loss to Aljamain Sterling a year ago, Pedro Munhoz was on a roll. He had won three fights in a row including a knockout over former champion, Cody Garbrandt. Munhoz is no easy task for anyone in the division. I’m very curious to see this fight play out on July 15th. I’m putting it on the list today because I’m shocked at how little people are talking about this incredible fight. This fight was initially scheduled to be at UFC 251, but it was bumped a few days to beef up the Wednesday card.

UFC on ESPN 14 – July 18th

On July 18th the UFC will have another fight night that will be headlined by a flyweight title fight. Deiveson Figueiredo (18-1) and Joseph Benavidez (28-6) will have their rematch for the vacant title. They fought back in February, and Figueiredo won the fight by stoppage. However, since he missed weight in the fight, nobody won the title. The UFC decided to run the fight immediately back with the hope that he can make weight this time. Speaking of the flyweight division, there is a fight that most people probably don’t know about that’s really caught my eyes on this card.

I’m very interested in the flyweight contest between top Russian prospect, Askar Askarov (11-0-1) and Alexandre Pantoja (22-4). Russian MMA is on fire right now, and one of the brighter prospects is Askarov. He fought to a draw in his UFC debut against Brandon Moreno, but bounced back with a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger, Tim Elliot. Pantoja is no easy task for the Russian. Pantoja is 6-2 in his UFC career with wins over Brandon Moreno and Wilson Reis. This is a very interesting matchup in the flyweight division. With both guys ranked in the top seven, the winner of this fight could very well be next in line to fight the winner of the main event.

UFC on ESPN 15 – July 25th

The final card of the month is loaded. The main event of the evening is a title eliminator in the middleweight division between former champion, Robert Whittaker (20-5), and Darren Till (18-2-1). While the card is stacked, the one matchup that I’m very curious about is in the heavyweight division. Former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1), will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson (18-6) in “The Mauler’s” heavyweight debut.

After some trouble with USADA, the former champion made his return back in May. Werdum really didn’t look that great in his return. Maybe you could attribute that to ring-rust after two years off. Werdum will also be getting ready to turn 43-years-old when he fights Gustafsson. Gustafsson surprised many when he retired last June after losing to Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 153. Gustafsson was just one fight removed from his loss to Jon Jones. Gustafsson is one of the best fighters to never taste UFC gold. He’s constantly been one of the best guys in the world, but he never has been able to climb the mountain all the way. I’m very curious to see how he looks at heavyweight. If this fight stays on the feet, the speed that Gustafsson has could really showcase well here, if it goes to the ground, I’m not sure how “The Mauler” will hold up.

A July to Remember

As a fight fan, you live for months like July. Four events in just two weeks time. The cards are all stacked from top to bottom. While other major sports in the world are still trying to figure it out, the UFC is churning out one of the more anticipated months in the sports history.

UFC: What is next for Jorge Masvidal?

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A couple of months ago, this was an easy question to answer. Jorge Masvidal (35-13) was going to be fighting for the UFC welterweight title in his next fight. “Gamebred” won fighter of the year in 2019 after knocking out top welterweights Darren Till and Ben Askren. Masvidal capped his year off with beating Nate Diaz for the BMF title back in November. All that was left was for Masvidal to fight Kamaru Usman for the title. However, due to failed negotiations we have seen the title shot go to Gilbert Burns. Now that the title shot is gone, what is next for the BMF? Let’s take a look at four realistic options for Jorge Masvidal’s next fight.

Colby Covington

This fight would have the most personal heat, and it’s the fight that probably makes the most sense from a rankings perspective. Former teammates and roommates turned bitter rivals. A fight between Masvidal and Colby Covington (15-2) makes all the sense in the world. Masvidal has been wanting to get paid more for his next fight. A fight with Covington would be a big money maker. Love him or hate him, Colby Covington has turned into must see TV. After reinventing himself a couple of years ago, he has blown up in popularity.

The two men were once closer than brothers if you just take a look at their Instagram accounts from a few years ago. They were both constantly talking about taking over the UFC‘s welterweight division together. Fast forward to now, and both men cannot stop insulting each other in public whenever the other is mentioned. Covington has left American Top Team due to all of the tension that was in the gym. Whether it was a shoot or reality, the heat has seemingly become real between the two. This fight would be a massive seller for the UFC. A fight between Covington and Masvidal would also give a clear number one contender to challenge the winner of the Usman/Burns fight in July.

Nate Diaz

When everything started to go south with the title negotiations, Masvidal turned his attention to Nate Diaz (20-12) with one tweet.

This tweet caught a lot of people off guard considering the fact that everyone was assuming that Usman/Masvidal was opening. Of course we all learned how the negotiations went, and now Masvidal is left without a dance partner. Well, the November BMF title fight left a lot to be desired. Not because of the fight itself, but because of how the fight ended. The fight was getting ready to head into the championship rounds when a ringside doctor called it off due to a cut.

Diaz had some really good moments in the third after Masvidal had dominated most of the fight. Masvidal made more money against Diaz than he was offered to fight Usman. Well, how about running back the BMF title fight as Masvidal suggested? Have to think that the UFC would pony up a little more money considering the star that Nate Diaz is. This would give Masvidal a fight, and it would give the fans a proper conclusion to the BMF title fight that they were robbed of in November.

Winner of Usman/Burns

Probably the easiest thing for Masvidal to do at this point is wait. Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Gilbert Burns (19-3) are fighting in a couple of weeks for the UFC welterweight title. Masvidal can sit on the sidelines while these two go at it. After the fight is over, Masvidal can go back to the UFC to negotiate fighting the winner. The UFC supposedly made a last minute effort to try to get Masvidal to fight Usman on July 11th, but the money just never worked for Gamebred. After all of this fuss, maybe a second round of negotiations after July 11th will go smoother. In an ideal world, Usman would beat Burns on July 11th, and the UFC would move right back to try to book Usman/Masvidal. Realistically, I think this will be the first option considering the fight is just weeks away.

Conor McGregor

Red panty night anyone? Masvidal wants to get paid, and Conor McGregor (22-4) just wants to fight. McGregor “retired” due to the frustrations he had with the UFC for not giving him a fight. Masvidal passed up a title fight due to his frustrations with pay. Do you see where I’m going with this? A fight with Masvidal and McGregor is a win-win for everyone. Masvidal would get the paycheck that he’s searching for. McGregor would get an opponent who would stand and trade with him, and the UFC would hit it out of the park with a massive PPV. I mean imagine a fight with McGregor and Masvidal with no fans. You could hear every word that the two would say to each other. The McGregor fight is one that Masvidal has wanted for a while, and it’s a fight that makes sense for both men. For Conor, he could lose the fight, but not lose ground in the lightweight division. It’s a fight that makes a lot of sense, but I’m not confident the UFC will move to book it.

What does the UFC do?

It’s crazy, but the two biggest fights in terms of PPV money are the two least likely from the UFC‘s perspective. I just don’t see the UFC pushing to make the McGregor or the Diaz fight for Masvidal. My guess is that they will wait to see how July 11th goes. If Usman gets through Gilbert Burns, I think they start up the talks again to have Masvidal fight Usman for the title in the fall. If that fight doesn’t materialize the UFC could pivot to try and booking Masvidal with Covington. However, a roadblock there could be the UFC trying to book the rematch between Usman and Covington. I respect Masvidal for sticking to his guns, but if he gets another chance at Usman, I really hope he doesn’t pass it up. I don’t think the UFC will give him the money fights he’s looking for, so if he doesn’t get the title shot, who knows what’ll happen to him. Gamebred soared to stardom last year, and it is crazy to think that there’s a possibility that the 2019 fighter of the year will not fight in 2020.