Jorge Masvidal is receiving his title shot.
The “BMF” champion will face welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (16-1) at UFC 251 next weekend on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, multiple sources told MMA Fighting. Masvidal, who must first pass a COVID-19 test, will step in as a late replacement for Gilbert Burns, who was announced to test positive for the virus on Friday night.
ESPN was the first to report the possible reservation.
For now, this reservation appears to have put a pause in the public conflict between Masvidal and the UFC over its compensation. “Gamebred” previously stated that he was offered a title shot, but was not happy with the proposed payout as it would be less than what he was paid for in his main event clash with Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November. He and other prominent UFC fighters, including Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, have made comments on multiple occasions questioning the pay of the fighters in recent months.
Masvidal (35-13) climbed to the top of the contender rankings with an impressive 2019 campaign in which he defeated Díaz and recorded a pair of outstanding knockouts against Darren Till and Ben Askren. Askren’s fight ended in just five seconds after Masvidal knocked out former champion Bellator and ONE with a flying knee, the fastest KO in UFC history.
This will be Usman’s second title defense. He successfully defended his belt against rival Colby Covington at UFC 245 in December, finishing “Chaos” with attacks with less than a minute remaining in his five-round fight.
It is still unknown what plans the UFC has for Burns, who has been dominant since moving from lightweight to welterweight. In his most recent outing, he earned a unanimous decision victory over former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
With Usman’s title defense newly scheduled, the featherweight rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway returns to the main event slot.
