Over the weekend, Jorge Masvidal created quite the buzz when he attended the Canelo Alvarez fight and even interviewed boxing’s biggest star following the event.
Not only did Masvidal talk about what it would be like to fight Canelo, but he also dropped the bomb on his next trip inside the octagon which will take place in September.
Pretty cool seeing Jorge Masvidal interviewing Canelo after his win tonight (🎥 @Abraham_kawa) pic.twitter.com/cBgJe7jEOH
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 28, 2021
Masvidal on Fighting Canelo Alvarez
Masvidal attended the Alvarez vs Yildirim fight to do some media stuff and as a fan of the sport. Following the dominating win for Canelo, Masvidal got to interview the champ.
Yet, it was Jorge’s comments about Alvarez and stepping inside the boxing ring against Canelo that really created a buzz:
“Truly, Canelo is the pound-for-pound guy right now. Offense is looking insane. The defense looks great. And the way he’s getting his timing and distance? Ridiculous. I knew it was going to be a blowout, but I didn’t think it was going to be like that. He’s one hell of a boxer, my brother. Chances are limited, but I’m a dog in every fight I’m in.”
Masvidal has stated time and time again that boxing is his first love and that he would love to do a crossover fight.
But, just because he was in attendance for Alvarez’s boxing fight doesn’t mean he’s going to step in the ring with the sport’s top fighter. That would be insane.
Masvidal would go on to also say that he was just there as a fan and isn’t trying to call out Canelo. Instead, he was praising the champ for his greatness.
But, there is one champ that Masvidal will fight in 2021 and that’s going to be the UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal vs Usman Betting Odds
The following odds are courtesy of the best online sportsbooks:
- Kamaru Usman (-310)
- Jorge Masvidal (+260)
In their first matchup at UFC 251, Usman opened as a -260 favorite and closed at a range of -230 to -290. Masvidal opened as a +200 underdog and closed at a range of +190 to +245.
Currently, Masvidal has seen his odds move from +250 to +260 while Usman’s odds have moved from -300 to -310.
Masvidal vs Usman II
In addition to stirring the pot over stepping inside a boxing ring, Masvidal lit up social media with his comments about fighting Usman in September:
“Right now I’m focused on me fighting for the belt, which is going to be in August/September, actually September, we just got word on this. So you’re like the second person actually to know this right now. That’s just how luck works man. A lot of MMA media sites are going to be mad I dropped to on yours first, boxing of all people. There’s going to call me a traitor. But that’s what I’m worried about.”
The timing of a potential rematch lines up with the possibility of these two men being coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. That would certainly be a great pairing for the UFC’s reality show that’s getting a makeover.
Breaking! Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) confirms the rematch with Kamaru Usman (@USMAN84kg) is on! 🔥https://t.co/Ywr1pewPLq
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) February 28, 2021
Masvidal and Usman first fought last summer at UFC 251 as Jorge took the fight on less than a week’s notice.
After the 1st round, it was clear that Jorge was not in shape to contend with the champ. However, he was able to last the full five rounds, which was more than we can say about Gilbert Burns who suffered a TKO loss to Usman a few weeks ago.
Following the win over Burns, Usman actually called out Masvidal:
“This time I want to stop him for real because I think that’s the only thing that’s going to close his mouth. This time I will stop him. I promise you. That’s why I was disappointed in myself that last fight because I know I can stop him but with all the circumstances took place, I just went out there and dominated him from start to finish. This time I will stop him if he wants to step up.”
So, not only does the champ want the rematch, but the challenger wants it as well. And, we know that the UFC will want it because it would be a big payday for the company. Furthermore, it could resurrect the TUF show.
Can Masvidal Pull off the Upset This Time Around?
Whether you like Masvidal or not, he does have an argument about last summer’s contest. Jorge took the bout on a week’s notice and had to travel overseas as well. It wasn’t like he flew from Miami to Vegas.
Masvidal looked gassed after the first five minutes and pretty much held on for the full five rounds. It ended up being a boring fight. The good thing is that I don’t see the rematch being anything close to what the first fight was.
Masvidal will have a full camp to prepare for Usman and vice versa. I believe that will make a huge difference for both combatants.
Usman has showed a marked improvement with his standup game which will definitely play a part in the rematch. But, the key will be how Masvidal does in defending the takedowns and keeping the champ from smothering him against the fence like their last fight.
If Masvidal can perform like he did in the first round of their fight last year, where he looked good, then he has a much better chance in this rematch.
As for now, I would go with Usman to win the rematch.
There really is only one fighter who I think has a legitimate shot at beating Usman and that’s Covington.
Colby was in that fight until it ended. He’s the only guy in quite a while to actually take some rounds on Usman in convincing fashion. Covington has the wrestling chops to keep this fight upright where I believe he would edge out Usman this time around.
Unfortunately for Covington, and fight fans, that rematch most likely won’t take place until next year if the UFC goes with Usman vs Masvidal for this fall.
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
