Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman don’t seem to have any love lost between them. The pair will headline UFC’s next PPV event, UFC 261, this month. This is a rematch from last June when Masvidal took a bout on six-day notice against Usman after Gilbert Burns fell out of their initially scheduled title match.

Masvidal was pretty aggressive in getting the rematch and has continued spewing vitriol towards Usman. This includes Masvidal calling Usman a ‘coward‘ in the lead-up to this fight. Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, was not happy about Masvidal’s words and has responded to the title challenger. (h/t MMAJunkie.com)

“I listened to some interviews, and Masvidal called him a coward. I don’t think any of these guys are cowards, I don’t think Masvidal is a coward, I don’t think Usman is a coward, none of these guys are cowards.

“How are you gonna call a guy a coward who gave you an opportunity on six days’ notice and now giving you a second opportunity? If he’s a coward, he should run away from you, right? But realistically, people say things to promote fights. It is what it is, but Kamaru is the furthest thing from being a coward. He’s a real man.”

READ MORE: ‘Don’t Think I Broke Him’- Kamaru Usman Opens Up On What Motivated Him To Rematch Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal: Will he back the talk up?

Jorge Masvidal has a very strong personality. But some opponents don’t care for the personality of the man across the cage, and Kamaru Usman is one of those men. He stood across the cage from Colby Covington, one of the most audacious personalities in the UFC right now, and didn’t bat an eye.

Masvidal has shown a distaste for trash-talking to build-up fights before, especially in the build-up to his bout against Ben Askren. He was very respectful to Nate Diaz in the build-up to their fight as well. However, Masvidal has been a lot more aggressive with his words recently.

While Usman will go into this fight as the favorite to win, Masvidal shouldn’t be underestimated. After all, Askren was the favorite to beat Masvidal. But Usman has shown that he is very hard to topple. He is the champion for a reason.