UFC 261: Jorge Masvidal comfortable with his weight ahead of rematch with Kamaru Usman

UFC 261 is just over two weeks away, but Jorge Masvidal knowing he’ll be in the April 24 main event against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman leaves him in a better spot than the last time they fought.

Masvidal was a last-minute replacement to challenge Usman at UFC 251 on Fight Island after Gilbert Burns had to pull out of the fight because he tested positive for COVID-19. Masvidal had only six days to prepare and had a long flight to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In addition, he had to lose about 20 pounds to reach the welterweight limit of 170 pounds, which in itself proved to be quite a battle.

Once all those hurdles were overcome, Masvidal lasted five rounds with Usman, though he lost every round on two cards and only won one round on the third.

“[The weight cut] was not fun,” Masvidal, 36, told ESPN on Monday. “It was too much weight.”

“I was 35 at the time. As you get older, the weight [cut] gets harder and more tedious, you know? The last 10 pounds took me longer than the first 17. Just trying to get rid of those last 10 pounds was a headache and a half. Now I don’t have to do it for this fight. The way I am now, I’m nine pounds out of the weight class, ready to crank it up.”

Masvidal said he was determined not to let the missed weight ruin his first golden opportunity in the UFC.

“When I got to 18 pounds, I started thinking, ‘wow, this hurts,’ but all I kept thinking was, ‘it won’t mean anything if I go out there and knock this guy out, so I’m going to make the weight like a man,’ because I’ve never missed weight,” he said. “I signed that line. ‘We’re going to compete. I’m going to make this weight. Otherwise, I shouldn’t have taken the fight.’ It would have been a coward’s way out. I made sure I made the weight and then I gave it my best shot.”

In the octagon after the decision was announced, the two talked about fighting again. That became more likely on Feb. 13, when Usman defeated Burns and then called Masvidal for a rematch.

“Looking at all the contenders, there was one that still had a bad taste in his mouth,” Usman told ESPN. “And it wasn’t because of what people said or what people thought, it was because of what I thought and felt after the fight. I was able to get the win, but not the way I wanted it. I had a built-in excuse, and I have to rectify it.”

Usman said his goal for the rematch is simple.

“I don’t think I broke him the way I wanted to,” Usman said. “And that’s really what I’m looking for.”

Masvidal was not impressed by Usman’s third-round stoppage against Burns on Feb. 13. Although Usman said he’s improving, Masvidal believes he’s the same fighter he faced last year.

“I just know that he knows I’m going to have gas for five rounds, and he’s going to have to hold that crazy pace where I’m trying to finish him from start to finish,” Masvidal said.