Kamaru Usman admits he was afraid of getting ‘baptized’ by Jorge Masvidal during short-notice fight

Kamaru Usman talks about how nervous he was ahead of facing Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251.

Kamaru Usman admits he was afraid of getting ‘baptized’ by Jorge Masvidal during short-notice fight

Kamaru Usman recalls being nervous to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251. (Image via Imago)

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo recently hosted former BMF champion, Jorge Masvidal on their podcast. Usman and Masvidal had an interesting rivalry spanning 2020-21 and they locked horns on two different occasions. In this latest episode, the former welterweight champion reveals why he was so nervous to step into the ring during their first showdown at UFC 251.

Jorge Masvidal recently made an appearance on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast. During their conversation, Kamaru Usman brought up their 2020 showdown at UFC 251 and how nervous he was before the fight.

I’m watching your interviews and you’re ‘I’m gonna baptize this guy’ f****** gets to me. I’m like, ‘Oh s***, is he gonna baptize me?

Kamaru Usman on Pound 4 Pound

Usman remembered seeing Gamebred’s viral knockout victory over Ben Askren everywhere he looked. The media was asking him how he was going to handle the sudden switch in the matchup. Usman was preparing for a showdown with Gilbert Burns. However, Burns tested positive for Covid-19 and had to step out six days before the fight. ‘Gamebred’ had stepped in on short notice to take on the welterweight champion.

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It was an intense fight that lasted the entire five rounds. Ultimately, Usman won the fight via unanimous decision. However, it was not until their rematch that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ really understood the power of Jorge Masvidal.

When Kamaru Usman realized Jorge Masvidal’s star power

Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman’s first fight was a success with over 1.3 million PPV buys. Meanwhile, this was during COVID-19 when they fought without fans in attendance. However, it was a different case when they had their rematch at UFC 261.

Nate Diaz x Kamaru USman x Leon Edwards
Usman KO’s Jorge Masvidal in the second round of their rematch (Via UFC)

Kamaru Usman brought this up during their latest episode with Jorge Masvidal on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast. Usman said it was then that he realized how popular Masvidal really was. Usman considered Masvidal a superstar and businessman capable of selling out arenas.

We were very good businessmen together… You fired me up. I remember in the press conference and the fans are going back and forth at me… We were the first fight back… I do remember that was a thing that was just like, ‘This guy’s big. Really big.’

Kamaru Usman on Pound 4 Pound

The UFC hosted their rematch at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville and the arena was packed. The event had over 15,000 in attendance and sold over 700,000 pay-per-view buys in the United States alone. The total gate amounted to around $3.3 million. Currently, Usman is taking a break from fighting after his loss to Khamzat Chimaev, whereas Gamebread has since retired from the UFC. The latter is trying to set up a boxing match against Nate Diaz, but that isn’t smooth sailing given Diaz’s unpredictable nature.

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