UFC 261: Kamaru Usman knocks out Masvidal to retain title

Welterweight champion Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman on Sunday knocked out his challenger, the American mixed martial artist, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal in their hugely anticipated sold-out 170-rematch  face-off for the UFC 261 Welterweight championship title scheduled at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The UFC 261 title fight which sold out 15,000 tickets in fifteen minutes after the announcement was made, longtime contender, Masvidal was looking for vengeance after being defeated during their first bout in July 2020 and reigning champion Kamaru is simply looking for another solid clear-cut win.

But in a 1 minute 8 seconds of the second round. Kamaru Usman with a devasting right punch knocked out Masvidal to retain his welterweight champion undisputed title.

The contender, Jorge Masvidal acknowledged the power when he said, “He (Kamaru Usman) won fair and square, he didn’t show me his power in the first fight so I underestimated his striking power”.

Masvidal refused to give a hint if he would be asking for a third rematch after he was knocked out in round two of their rematch.

After the fight, Usman said: ‘Y’all said you wanted violence, you’re welcome. First and foremost, no disrespect, thanks to Jorge. You elevated me and it’s been a while since I’ve been nervous for a fight but I had to go to the workshop and bring all my tools for this fight.

‘I am still getting better all the time and this fight proves it. Coach kept yelling at me to stay with the fundamentals and that’s it. I know I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now with these fundamentals.’  

Usman’s 14-fight win streak is now the second-longest in UFC history, behind only Anderson Silva’s 16-fight win streak between 2006 and 2012.