UFC 251: Jorge Masvidal ‘hurting’ after cutting 20 pounds in six days – ‘it was rough’

‘Gamebred’ admits weight cut after flying to Abu Dhabi on short notice to fight Kamaru Usman was brutal but says ‘soon it’ll be party time’

‘A lot of young guys just don’t know their value. It’s not their fault,’ says Masvidal, who admits he ‘learned a lot’ from recent negotiations

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Jorge Masvidal cuts weight ahead of UFC 251. Photo: Instagram

Published: 2:35pm, 11 Jul 2020Updated: 2:27pm, 12 Jul 2020

Jorge Masvidal may have made it look easy. But his UFC 251 weight cut was no joke.

“Twenty pounds in six days,” Masvidal told reporters after Friday’s official weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi. “That’s all I’m gonna say. It was rough. But I did it. I get s*** done.”

“Gamebred” (35-13) slid in on short notice to save Sunday’s Fight Island main event against Kamaru Usman (16-1), after Gilbert Burns tested positive for coronavirus.

He left Las Vegas for the UAE on Monday after passing preflight Covid-19 tests – even stopping for a pizza on the way in Rome, Italy – before beginning his cut. The 35-year-old shared a picture this on social media this week of himself covered in towels on the floor of a sauna.

But Masvidal insisted he didn’t have any doubts about taking the fight, after reopening negotiations with the UFC last weekend.

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