It’s never easy to step into a fight at the last minute with just a week’s notice, particularly when your opponent is looking as dominant as Usman has been. It can also be frustrating for fans, the UFC has a storied history with fighters stepping in at the last minute and missing weight meaning that a title fight can’t actually take place. With that being said, many felt as though the Usman v Masvidal fight should’ve been the fight to take place, and with Gamebred stepping forward it seems the card is as it should have been.
It’s a win-win situation for Masvidal here too, if he steps in and beats Usman, then he becomes champ and he has the bragging rights to say he was the better fighter all along, if he loses then it signals for a rematch in which Masvidal is able to go in with a full training camp and preparation with the loss being chalked down the just a short notice period. Many are expecting Usman to go in and wrestle given that he had been preparing for a strong striker who could also wrestle in Burns, but with Masvidal having a limited ground game it cuts half of that preparation out. With this fight taking place, it also assumes that the issues between Masvidal and the UFC have been temporarily fixed with the main point of contention that Gamebred felt as if he wasn’t being paid enough for the types of fights he was taking and the position he was in with his career – it seems as though he may have gotten the pay day he was looking for here, and if it leads to a rematch then he may be in the money especially if he wins and is able to take some of that pay-per-view purse too.
It may be a tough one for punters, recent changes in regulation has limited participation options for those looking to bet on these fights but a number of non gamstop bookies are well reviewed and give fans a great opportunity for this fight – if Masvidal is able to pull off another highlight finish then it may give some punters a great result, otherwise it could be a long night with a lot of wrestling.
It does tie up the near future in the division though, Burns may miss out on a title shot for quite some time if Masvidal is set to be in the #1 contender spot for some time, however, and also spells some bad news for other competition – Colby Covington was looking to get another shot but hasn’t fought since his last defeat to Usman, Leon Edwards also hinted that he was offered the shot but couldn’t take it, and Conor McGregor although recently retired is still in prime position within the 170lb welterweight division – at least there is some activity and competition, it had seemed quite stale for some time and this little mix up breathes some life into the rankings.
