UFC president Dana White has confirmed UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will fight Jorge Masvidal at International Fight Week in Las Vegas this July.
Usman revealed this week to Joe Rogan that White told him the promotion was looking to set up a fight with Masvidal when Usman is healthy to fight. Usman and Masvidal then got into a verbal altercation in Miami this week ahead of the Super Bowl, furthering speculation a fight could come together.
On Friday, White was on the Jim Rome Show and confirmed that Usman will fight Masvidal in Vegas in early July. He also said that if Masvidal wins the belt, the UFC may do the rematch in Miami. Here’s what the UFC bossman said (h/t Shaun Al-Shatti).
Dana White on @GamebredFighter: "Him and Usman will fight in Vegas, probably International Fight Week. And then if he wins, maybe we'll do his first title defense in Miami." (via the Jim Rome Show)
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) January 31, 2020
“Dana White on @GamebredFighter: “Him and Usman will fight in Vegas, probably International Fight Week. And then if he wins, maybe we’ll do his first title defense in Miami.” (via the Jim Rome Show)”
When Usman vs. Masvidal takes place it will be one of the most anticipated fights of 2020. Usman is the UFC welterweight champion and is coming off of an epic TKO win over Colby Covington at UFC 245. He is undefeated in the UFC with an 11-0 record inside the Octagon and does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Masvidal, meanwhile, was mostly a gatekeeper throughout his career but he exploded into a superstar in 2019 with three straight stoppage wins over Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till. Now Masvidal is a bonafide superstar, who combines his in-cage skills with his gift of gab to make himself a complete star for the UFC.
Betting odds were previously released for this bout, with Usman a comfortable betting favorite. Now that the fight is nearly official, expect plenty of action to come in on both sides as this will surely be a very popular fight for bettors to place wagers on.
How excited are you to see Kamaru Usman fight Jorge Masvidal?