Danny Segura: Kamaru Usman still
Yes, Nolan and Simon’s ideas of an alternative opponent for Jorge Masvidal sound feasible, so you can’t discount them. But the truth is, the title fight with champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is the fight to make.
Masvidal’s star power is at an all-time high, and the carrot at the end of the stick is still the UFC championship belt.
If you look at the biggest stars in the company’s history, they’re all linked to the belt one way or another – whether they’re champions, former champions or just simply title challengers. Having a belt around your waist paired with whatever your “it” factor seems to be the winning recipe for the UFC.
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As big as Masvidal’s star power is, the man has yet to have fought for the belt. It’s in the UFC’s best interest to have Masvidal challenge Usman. Yes, a fight with Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz would be big, but those fights will always be there. You can always justify those fights with Masvidal coming off a hypothetical loss, but that doesn’t translate too well for championship fights.
Not saying there aren’t options for Masvidal on the table right now outside of Usman, but know that negotiations go down in plain sight, not just back rooms and offices.
I think this could very well be a negotiation tactic from the the UFC president to expedite and get over any hurdles that could be slowing down the potential championship fight between Usman and Masvidal.
It’s time for “Gamebred” to get a crack at gold.