Jorge Masvidal didn’t defeat Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, but he’s returning home from Abu Dhabi with his head held high.
On Sunday, Masvidal shared a quick video from his flight home from Abu Dhabi to the United States. The clip shows him celebrating with his team over a bottle of his Recuerdo mezcal.
“Salud to making money,” Masvidal said, addressing his team with a bottle in his hand. He then shared a Spanish expression that translates to “in good times: mezcal, and in bad times: mezcal.”
“It’s not such a bad time,” Masvidal added. “It didn’t go 100 percent according to plan, but we did leave with a good part of the plan. A big chunk of the part of the plan. Thank you all.”
Usman, the UFC welterweight champion, was originally expected to defend his title against Gilbert Burns in the UFC 251 main event. When burns tested positive for COVID-19, however, the UFC called upon Masvidal to step in against Usman on six days’ notice.
After negotiating a new and seemingly very lucrative contract, Masvidal agreed to take the fight. Despite the short time he had to prepare, he put up a good fight against Usman, surviving a grueling 25 minutes with the champion.
Post-fight, Masvidal explained that his hope is to get a few more wins and earn another crack at the welterweight title. While he expressed flat-out disinterest in a fight with Colby Covington, he did seem interested in a potential fight with Leon Edwards.
“Leon Edwards, I don’t know,” Masvidal said of Edwards. “If the numbers make sense, or whoever it is that the numbers makes sense, and it gets me closer to the title.
“Definitely whoever it takes but we’ll pick the right opponents,” Masvidal added. “I won’t fight a Joe Blow or an up and comer. We’ll make sure that it’s the right fight to get me to the title or whatever it is that I’ve got to do to get to the title.”
What do you think the future holds for Jorge Masvidal after UFC 251?