Jorge Masvidal Reacts To Just Missing Kamaru Usman At Lift In UFC Hotel

Jorge Masvidal wishes he had run into Kamaru Usman ahead of their UFC 251 main event fight for the welterweight title.

While the pair have been separated and even sent on different private jets to Abu Dhabi for their Fight Island bout, the first episode of the UFC 251 'Embedded' vlog shows just how close the pair were from crossing paths at the UFC hotel.

As seen around six minutes into the video on UFC's YouTube channel, Masvidal heads into one lift just seconds before Usman walks out of the other.

It was an incredibly close call and Masvidal has revealed he was clueless about the near encounter until he saw the video, but admits he wished he had been a few seconds later so he could greet his opponent.

Speaking to ESPN MMA, Masvidal said: "I didn't know about it till they showed me the video. And that was pretty f**king trippy man!... It was a little bit surreal cause I have great peripherals.

"I happened to just look right at my phone and got my eyes dilated as well. So I had those funky glasses on and I really couldn't see that well and it just happened man.

"The bigger part of me wishes I had run into him. You know just the hello how are you type of thing."

The last time they were in the same vicinity, the pair had to pulled apart when they got into a heated altercation in Miami as part of a Super Bowl event in January.

In a video of the incident that immediately started doing the rounds, Usman could be heard calling for Masvidal to do something but the BMF champ said he 'won't take advantage' of Usman's arm being in a cast.

Clearly there's a dislike and animosity from both sides and that should make for some serious fireworks at the weigh-in and then the main event inside the Octagon on Saturday.

The positive COVID-19 test from original challenger Gilbert Burns looks set to be a blessing in disguise as Usman-Masvidal promises to be something special.

To see all of Usman and Masvidal's fights, subscribe to Fight Pass, where you'll get access to every UFC fight ever, plus behind the scenes exclusives and original content that can't be found anywhere else.

Topics: Jorge Masvidal, UFC News, MMA News, UFC 251, UFC, MMA, Kamaru Usman

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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