Ben Askren doesn’t have a great prediction for Jorge Masvidal against Kamaru Usman

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Kamaru Usman could face Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 after Gilbert Burns tested positive for Covid-19

Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman could finally happen after Gilbert Burns tested positive for Covid-19.

The fight will take place at UFC 251 next week. Burns was to face the Welterweight Champion Usman at Fight Island, but he caught the virus and didn’t make the trip.

Gilbert Burns is one of the top stars in the Welterweight division
Gilbert Burns recently defeated Tyron Woodley (UFC)

Masvidal’s agent has claimed that Gamebred is willing to step-up, and this could be one of the best fights of the year.

Masvidal and Usman have built a huge rivalry over the past few months. They were to meet for the title but Gamebred was taken off the fight, possibly due to pay issues. However, this would be a major turnaround for the UFC as Fight Island hosting Usman vs Masvidal will be amazing.

While Gamebred has spoken about him destroying Usman, his former rival Ben Askren doesn’t believe that will happen.

Askren was knocked out famously by Masvidal in five seconds at UFC 239, and he tweeted that Gamebred cares more about the money than the result:

“Masvidal will likely lose on short notice but probably got paid big and that’s what was more important to him. If he loses they set up rematch with full length camp.”

Can Masvidal step up on short notice?

Gamebred deciding to face Usman at short notice could earn him a substantial payday. However, Askren is right in suggesting a rematch could take place in Gamebred loses.

We have seen incidents of fighters taking up short notice fights and losing it easily. The UFC needs to be careful with this regard as a title fight in six days doesn’t leave a lot of gap for cutting weight and training too.

Jorge Masvidal after beating Nate Diaz to win the BMF title
Jorge Masvidal of the United States is awarded the belt by Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson after his victory by TKO on a medical stoppage against Nate Diaz (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Gamebred might be game for the clash, but he wouldn’t want to hurt his legacy. Masvidal is always ready for a fight and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top of this clash.

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