Dana White on Potential Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal Title Fight: ‘It’s Massive’

After watching Kamaru Usman dispatch Colby Covington in a “Fight of the Night” performance at UFC 245, UFC president Dana White believes a showdown between the reigning welterweight champion and Jorge Masvidal could be big business for the promotion.

“It’s massive,” White said at the UFC 245 post-fight press conference. “So think about this: How many times have we sat in this room, we did the lead-up to this big grudge match, these two guys hate each other going into the fight, and then I’m sitting here going, ‘And that fight sucked.’ How many grudge matches have actually been incredible fights? I say none. Maybe one I’m forgetting about, but they all pretty much suck.

“This grudge match (Usman vs. Covington) was awesome, two guys in their prime who are at the top of the game, and the fight was the “Fight of the Night” in an incredible card. Yeah, the Masvidal fight vs. Usman, it’s a big deal. He fought (Nate) Diaz for the ‘BMF,’ belt and now to fight for the actual title against the guy who’s tough as nails, it’s fun.”

Usman is currently on an 11-fight winning streak in the Octagon and has established himself as one of the top fighters in the sport. He traded blows with Covington for the better part of five rounds before earning a TKO finish at the 4:10 mark of Round 5.

Masvidal’s stock is at an all-time high after a 2019 in which he finished Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz, the last of which was for the “BMF” belt at Madison Square Garden. However, Masvidal recently said that he would prefer bouts against Nick Diaz or Conor McGregor instead of a welterweight title shot.