Negotiations for next weeks Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal UFC welterweight title battle are done, sources said, and both fighters have actually consented to terms to compete Saturday at UFC 251 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Thats a massive obstacle cleared for the promo, which worked to restore Usmans presence on the card after Gilbert Burns was forced to withdraw Friday night. However its not the only obstacle delegated overcome in an effort to make this fight a reality next weekend.
2 RelatedAt the time of this writing, Usman is en path to Las Vegas, while Masvidal, who flew from South Florida to Las Vegas through personal jet, landed previously in the day.
As Soon As in Las Vegas, both fighters need to sign in to the host hotel, take a coronavirus test and then quarantine while waiting for the outcomes. If they pass the test, theyll be cleared to fly to Abu Dhabi, most likely Monday. If they do not, the battle cant and wont happen.
For the previous two months, the UFC and Masvidal were far apart on contract talk with make this battle take place. In the end, the UFC chose to ignore negotiations about a month back and offered the title fight to Burns, who just recently beat former champ Tyron Woodley.
Later, Masvidal published a series of tweets criticizing the UFC for its business practices, casting doubt on whether the relationship would be severed for some time. As soon as Burns was forced off the card late Friday night, momentum began to construct for the original plan, which is a grudge match that has been months in the making. Usman and Masvidal have been involved in a heated fight that saw the duo get into a yelling match at Super Bowl media row in Miami earlier this year.
On Saturday afternoon, Usman tweeted, “Might be time for the pig to squeal,” while Masvidals co-manager posted a series of Instagram stories revealing Masvidal on the phone with the caption “negotiating.”.
Naturally, nowadays its not as simple as just accepting a fight. Masvidal passed a coronavirus and took antibody test Saturday afternoon. That test shows whether an individual had been exposed to the coronavirus in the past but does not determine whether somebody currently has the virus. So, a minimum of one obstacle was cleared then. If the fight eventually gets signed, theyll have to pass three more coronavirus tests prior to battle night, as will all the fighters completing in Abu Dhabi this month.
Masvidal is considered among the most popular fighters in the sport, with numerous thinking he was the 2019 fighter of the year after choosing up excellent wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. In addition to the welterweight title fight, the card likewise includes Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 for the featherweight title and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the bantamweight title.
If they do not, the fight cant and wont occur.
Of course, these days its not as basic as simply concurring to a battle. If the fight ultimately gets signed, theyll have to pass 3 more coronavirus tests prior to battle night, as will all the fighters completing in Abu Dhabi this month.
