"They can’t all be walk-offs.
Jorge Masvidal felt the need to apologize after UFC welterweight champion
Kamaru Usman put him through the grinder on Saturday night.
“I just feel like I let a lot of people down, man,” Masvidal said. “It was a sh*tty performance.”
There is no need for him to think that he disappointed anyone, not after 17 years, 48 professional MMA bouts and the frantic circumstances around his 49th, which, let’s just say right now, wasn’t sh*tty.
Compared to Masvidal’s profile-raising 2019, this weekend’s suffocating loss was like the 2020 of fights. It must be awful to be on the other side of Usman but with a better training camp Masvidal said he was convinced he could beat the champ. There were flashes of possibilities on Saturday. He displayed enough of his athleticism, timing and defensive wrestling to make Usman work for everything.
When he could, Masvidal tried to pick his spots and attack while preserving his energy. Repeatedly, though, Usman took Masvidal into his world and locked things down. It was the smart way to fight, so of course that’s what Usman did. The reality of meeting one of the most dominant 170-pound fighters ever to hold a UFC title—on short notice—meant a stymied “BMF.” Other fighters have fared far worse against Usman with much more time to prepare, Masvidal noted.
“I gambled the dice on myself,” Masvidal said. “I knew I didn’t have the greatest gas tank coming in but I’m still a dangerous man six days, one day, six weeks. Hats off to him. We’ll do it again.”
