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As we all understand, though, these are far from normal scenarios. The deals from Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington to combat Usman on this except notice are great for headings, social networks graphics and getting fans to show deeper support for their badassery, but its likewise deeply impractical and would be almost impossible to manage.
A comparable argument goes for Covington, who told UFC to call him with the battle. He would practically certainty desire something extra for saving the day. Is that juice worth the capture for UFC? Covington simply lost to Usman in December, and although it was an unbelievable battle, in which Covington had gripes with how referee Marc Goddard worked it, Covington was ultimately finished. How severely do people desire to see that once again?
We can begin by concurring that yes, complete stranger things have happened in MMA. The UFC has actually pulled enough rabbits out of its hat for many years that if it truly desires to attain something, there are few things that will stand in the way of making it occur.
Possibly the UFC is desperate enough to go into its pockets and pay Masvidal what hes desires, but that does not promise. Masvidal vs. Usman is a highly expected fight, and it would be an injustice to everybody involved to trot it out there on short notice. Theres a lot of discontent in between the two fighters and the UFC would definitely want to optimize that with proper promotion. If the whole event was based around Usman headlining, then possibly there would be more utilize for Masvidal to get what he wants, but lest not forget there are 2 more title battles on the card, and Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 is a more than suitable pay-per-view main event.
Lets keep in mind that Usman didnt even get on the airplane to Abu Dhabi that departed Las Vegas on Friday night. Provided the quantity of travel time involved and the necessary quarantine treatments in location amid the coronavirus pandemic, with athletes and groups needing to lock down for 48 hours on each side of travel, that essentially rules Usman disqualified to combat July 11 at UFC 251.
In addition to all that, getting Masvidal or Covington through all the health and wellness measures in time for fight night would be a rush at finest. Both men live in the COVID-19 hotbed that is the state of Florida, which is the very same place Burns stemmed ahead of UFC 251.
Under regular circumstances, finding a replacement challenger to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title on seven days notice would be a challenging, however possible task. As MMA Junkie initially reported, Gilbert Burns positive COVID-19 test caused him to be pulled from the event one week out and left Usman without an opposition.
Masvidals supervisor, Abe Kawa of First Round Management, told ESPN on Saturday that the “BMF” champ is “definitely prepared” to eliminate Usman on short notification. The unspoken end to that quote, however, likely checks out, “for X amount of cash.” Many originally desired Masvidal to be Usmans opponent at UFC 251, however it didnt get done since of an agreement disagreement between “Gamebred” and the UFC brass.
At the end of the day, this is a situation in which Masvidal and Covington can attempt to flex about their desire to compete, with no reaction. Would they combat Usman in one weeks time if whatever came together best?. However there are just simply too lots of barriers, and therefore an empty volunteering of services.
Gilbert Burns remarks on ravaging removal from UFC 251 after favorable COVID-19 testVideo: Kamaru Usman exchanges brutal body shots with Justin Gaethje ahead of UFC 251 title fightUFC totally free battle: Kamaru Usman stops Colby Covington in UFC 245 thrillerLets hypothesize for an immediate that UFC might work around that. Theres another charter plane to Abu Dhabi on Monday for the fighters slated to compete on the UFCs July 15 occasion, and perhaps the promotion might discover a method to get Usman on it without breaking protocols. If so, who does he combat?
Photos: Jorge Masvidal through the years
Perhaps the UFC is desperate enough to dig into its pockets and pay Masvidal what hes desires, however that doesnt seem likely. A comparable argument goes for Covington, who told UFC to call him with the battle.
Gilbert Burns remarks on devastating removal from UFC 251 after positive COVID-19 testVideo: Kamaru Usman exchanges harsh body shots with Justin Gaethje ahead of UFC 251 title fightUFC totally free battle: Kamaru Usman stops Colby Covington in UFC 245 thrillerLets assume for an immediate that UFC could work around that. Theres another charter aircraft to Abu Dhabi on Monday for the fighters slated to complete on the UFCs July 15 event, and maybe the promo might discover a method to get Usman on it without breaking protocols. The majority of initially desired Masvidal to be Usmans opponent at UFC 251, however it didnt get done since of a contract disagreement in between “Gamebred” and the UFC brass.
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