Kamaru Usman is on the path of being one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. That is a tall task, as there is a former champion in Georges St-Pierre who was a titan in the division Usman currently reigns over. However, Usman’s dominance over his competition is fast-tracking him into that conversation.

One major dud in Usman’s resume was his bout with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251. While Usman won convincingly, the bout was a dull affair that fans remember for Usman’s usage of foot stomps in the clinch. That performance is what motivated Usman to take the rematch, as he wants to break Masvidal.

READ MORE: Kamaru Usman Not Happy With People Criticizing Jorge Masvidal as a ‘Journeyman’

“I don’t think I broke him the way I wanted to break him. There’s something that satisfies me when I fight guys. And that’s the thing I believe years ago, John spoke about this. When you’re in there with that opponent, it’s such an intimate moment.

“Only you and that guy know what’s going on. Only you and that guy know how hard I’m coming at you. With Masvidal, I don’t think I fully broke him the way I wanted to.”

Kamaru Usman: Will the rematch go as he expects it to?

Kamaru Usman will definitely be the favorite against Jorge Masvidal. That isn’t a dig at Masvidal, but rather praise for Usman. After all, he decimated Tyron Woodley to become champion, in a way that Woodley was never the same again. He broke Colby Covington‘s jaw in a heated five-round affair. His knockout of Gilbert Burns this year was systematic and clean.

All of Usman’s recent fights have ended definitively in his favor, including the Masvidal bout. However, the fight against Masvidal just wasn’t impressive. But now that both men have prepared for this, it will be interesting to see how they match up.

While both men have holistic skill-sets, they both specialize in one thing or the other. Masvidal is an elite kickboxer, and Usman is an elite wrestler. We have seen Masvidal pull off historic KOs over wrestlers before. But it seems like Usman is planning a performance that the history books remember in his favor.