After the UFC 261 mixed martial arts tournament concluded in Jacksonville, Florida on April 25th, it was certainly quite a show. For example, first, the return of the crowd to their seats created a whole different viewing experience for attendees. Second, unexpected injuries and beautiful knockouts provided plenty to see for interested parties waiting anxiously for months.
UFC welterweight champion Usman gave Jorge a rematch. The rivals first met last summer at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Jorge agreed to enter the cage on short notice and surprised everyone with his resilience.
After their first meeting, fans wondered how the fight between these two would go if Jorge put in a full training camp. Given these very circumstances, Usman agreed to give Masvidal another chance just six days before the next fight.
Kamaru was the clear favorite for the bout
Usman won the first fight against Masvidal, and many expected the pattern to continue. But instead of fighting, Jorge looked good in Usman’s “territory” and fought stand up. In the first few seconds of the first round he made a few accurate kicks with his right leg. When Usman tried to throw one of his trademark jumping knee volleys, Masvidal reacted quickly and landed a splendid shot.
You have to hand it to Jorge, he was very good in terms of defense and he was pestering Usman with nasty elbows. Soon the rivals returned to the ring. Usman again made his mark with a nice right jab and then he did a jab, which Kamaru also has a devastating power.
Masvidal switched to low kicks, clearly trying to hurt his opponent’s agility. At the end of the first round Jorge for some reason threw up his hands victoriously, probably, to make it clear that his confidence after the unsuccessful five minutes had not disappeared.
He tried to show the same confidence at the start of the second round. Jorge smiled in his opponent’s face, signaling that he didn’t care about missed punches. Moments after one of these episodes, Usman delivered a gorgeous and heavy right jab to Masvidal’s jaw. Jorge was instantly knocked down on the canvas, and the champion managed to get a couple more Hammerfists to the unarmed target.
A victory that helped Usman move into sole possession of second place
Usman won a fight that moved him to number two on the list of most consecutive wins in UFC history. He now has 14. He is tied with fighters like Khabib, Georges, Jon Jones, Max Holloway and Demetrius Johnson. Anderson Silva is only two wins away from being at the top of the list which is currently held by Anderson Silva.
In any case, we can already say that Usman’s legacy is terrific. There is a reason Dana White put him above Georges St. Pierre in the run-up to the tournament, calling Kamara the greatest welterweight in history. Today, the Nigerian-American proved it by defeating Masvidal with his own weapons and getting away with virtually no fighting elements.
Usman seems to have the key to all his opponents
You may remember his recent remarks about defeating his opponents in the second round. That is just how it is. We already know that for the next fight his opponent will be someone from the league and he has beaten him before too. So it looks like there is no one for Usman to beat since Colby gave him a good fight in their first fight, maybe he will be enough for a second one too but don’t despair because there are other fighters who can give Usman a good challenge to take him on, they might not beat him but they can at least make it an interesting fight!
It is clear now that Jon Jones has long lost his credibility as the best fighter in the league. Regardless of weight division, Usman has already made three defenses and he currently ranks number one in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings for any weight class. It’s time to examine his credentials on April 26th when we are introduced to a new set of standings
