Kamaru Usman responded to criticism of his performance in his win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 by making a Floyd Mayweather comparison.
The Nigerian Nightmare made a second comfortable defence of his welterweight title and made it 12 consecutive wins in UFC after a 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 unanimous points victory in the main event of the first event on Fight Island.
It was anything but a vintage and flashy display from Usman but he used his superior wrestling and grappling ability to negate the threat of Masvidal and get the job done.
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Many fans didn't enjoy the five rounds Usman and Masvidal threw up inside the Octagon and the champion replied emphatically when asked about criticism in relation to the manner in which he won.
"Well maybe they need to get in there and fight Jorge Masvidal for 25 minutes and then say something," Usman said in his post-fight press conference, as per Metro.
"That's the thing, there was a time when people started hating Floyd Mayweather because he was so dominant. 'Floyd's defence was so good, he was so good at what he did. 'Oh, that's boring, he's not fighting'" because people want to see a bar fight? 'We're risking our lives in there. And we've trained.
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"What was the point of training each and every day and then go in there for a slug fest? 'You can train to be able to make someone miss and control them in a certain way.
"That's what training is for, so you're not in there taking punishment at will. I do that better than anybody.
"They can say whatever they want. I worked for 25 minutes. Even when we were up against the cage, I worked for 25 minutes. I gave him opportunities where he could have got off the cage, but he was content staying there and I kept working.
"Whoever's saying that, they can say whatever they want but come share the octagon with Jorge Masvidal for 25 minutes and let's see what they'd say."
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Although Masvidal had decent joy in the opening round, he faded big-time in his first title bout and acknowledged his "sh**ty performance" after the fight.
'Gamebred' immediately told Usman of his interest in running it back after he gets back on track, and the 33-year old praised his opponent's toughness.
"Gamebred is the biggest, baddest dude out there right now and I had to switch gears to prepare for him on six weeks notice," Usman said post-fight.
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"I had to make a mental switch, I prepared for Gilbert I had a completely different gameplan.
"Gamebred is tough and he showed it out there. I think Jorge is tough. I've always said it. Jorge is a tough guy and I give him credit for that. I'm just levels better."
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Topics: Fight Island, Jorge Masvidal, UFC News, MMA News, UFC 251, UFC, MMA, Kamaru Usman
