Late replacement Jorge Masvidal admits to not being in top shape for world title fight

Jorge Masvidal won’t deny that he is not in the tip-top shape ahead of his world title showdown against UFC Welterweight World Champion Kamaru Usman.

The pair is slated to clash in the main event of UFC 251 on July 12, 2020 at Fight Island in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

“If you're asking me, are you in shape?” Masvidal told ESPN.

“Maybe not to fight Ben Askren. I'm not in Ben Askren shape, because he's a hell of a wrestler. Or even to fight a guy like Darren Till. But am I in shape for this bum I'm about to decapitate and baptize? Hell yeah.”

Masvidal was initially tapped to face Usman for the title, but negotiations fell through after the former expressed dissatisfaction with the prize money he was originally offered.

The development paved way for Gilbert Burns to take on Usman instead but was forced out of the fight after he acquired the virus together with his brother Herbert, coach Greg Jones, and training partner Aung La N Sang.

The incident placed Masvidal back into the title picture on six-day notice.

“I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but I got very, very close to it. I’m happy more than anything because I get to break this guy’s face and get paid for it,” he said.

“But one thing I’m not going to do, which I’ve done a long part of my career, is get underpaid. That’s not going to happen no more not from here going forward.”

And though he never had the training camp to prepare and device a game plan for Usman, Masvidal stated that he never stopped training and guaranteed that he is ready to fight.

“I never stopped training. I'm always training. But I'm not always in the gym doing the specifics.” -- BAP, GMA News