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Kamaru Usman Leaves No Doubt, Knocks Out Jorge Masvidal in UFC 261 Headliner


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Whether it’s on a full camp or short notice, Kamaru Usman has the antidote for Jorge Masvidal.

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Usman (19-1, 14-0 UFC) left no doubt in their rematch at UFC 261, knocking out “Gamebred” in the second round of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The end came 62 seconds into Round 2, as Usman floored Masvidal (35-14, 12-8 UFC) with a picture-perfect straight right hand and sealed the deal with approximately five hammerfists on the canvas.

“I know with my fundamentals I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now,” said Usman, who has won 14 consecutive fights in UFC competition, the second most in promotion history behind Anderson Silva.

The card was the UFC’s first in front of a capacity crowd since March 2020, and Usman gave them something to remember. The opening round was competitive but still belonged to Usman, as he landed solid straight punches and took Masvidal down in the center of the cage. The Miami native stayed busy with elbows from his back and eventually returned to his feet, seemingly setting the stage for a lengthy championship clash. That would not be the case.

Masvidal began the second frame by attacking Usman’s legs with kicks. It wasn’t long after, though, that Usman connected on the missile of a right hand that sent Masvidal to the canvas, followed by hammerfists that were just icing on the cake. It was the first time Masvidal had been finished by strikes since June 2008.

“No disrespect, thank you to my man Jorge. You elevated me,” Usman said. “He made me go to the workshop and I had to sharpen all my tools to put on a performance like that. I told everybody, I'm still getting better. The sky's the limit for me for as long as I'm doing this.”

Masvidal initially stepped in to face Usman on a week’s notice at UFC 251, replacing Gilbert Burns after a positive COVID-19 test. Usman cruised to a unanimous decision in that July bout, but the door was left open for a rematch because Masvidal fatigued quickly due to the lack of a full camp. Now, the rivalry has some closure.

“I thought we were gonna wrestle more. I was ready to wrestle 25 minutes,” Masvidal said. “All the props to him in the world, he caught me by surprise. He's got my number, nothing I can say but he won this fair and square and God bless him, man.”

Namajunas Head Kick KOs Zhang, Regains Title


For the second time in her mixed martial arts career, Rose Namajunas is the UFC strawweight champion.

“Thug” Rose authored a shocking knockout in the UFC 261 co-main event, finishing Weili Zhang with a head kick and follow-up hammerfists 1:18 into the opening round of their 115-pound title bout. Zhang saw a 21-fight professional winning streak come to an end.

“I did it again,” said Namajunas, who was once again an underdog just as she was when she initially claimed strawweight gold with a win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217.

During the initial stage of the bout, Namajunas (10-4, 8-3 UFC) utilized footwork and constant movement to stay out of range of Zhang’s powerful strikes. But it was the fight-ending maneuver that will be forever etched in history. Namajunas feinted a low kick with her lead leg before going upstairs with a high kick with the same leg, connecting clean on Zhang’s chin. The Chinese star fell backward immediately, her head bouncing off the canvas. Namajunas followed her foe to the floor and landed about three or four follow-up hammerfists before referee Keith Peterson stepped in to halt the bout.

Zhang (21-2, 5-1 UFC) protested the stoppage in the immediate aftermath and reiterated that the fight might have ended prematurely in her post-fight interview, but it appeared that Namajunas’ final salvo had the Black Tiger Fight Club representative reeling.

“I didn't see her moving. I wasn't sure if she was gonna come back from that,” Namajunas said. “Just a couple of hammerfists and that's how it went.”

Related » UFC 261 Round-by-Round Scoring


Shevchenko Rolls to Fifth Successful Title Defense


Many observers believed Jessica Andrade might be the most difficult challenge of Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight reign to date. The woman known as “Bullet” proved otherwise in dominant fashion.

Shevchenko (21-3, 10-2 UFC) thwarted Andrade (21-9, 12-7 UFC) at every turn, earning a technical knockout victory 3:19 into Round 2 of their 125-pound championship contest. The Tiger Muay Thai product has now successfully defended the flyweight crown five times since winning the vacant belt in December 2018.

“My plan was to come into the Octagon and destroy my opponent,” Shevchenko said. “Sorry Jessica, but it was my plan.”

Shevchenko sent a message at the very beginning of the bout. She tagged Andrade with clean punching combinations to the head, landed multiple takedowns and hunted for a rear-naked choke near the fence. Andrade didn’t succumb to the hold, but it only delayed the inevitable. The champion slammed Andrade to the canvas within the first 20 seconds of Round 2, then denied a takedown attempt from her opponent when they returned to their feet. Moments later, she grounded the Brazilian again, moved to a mounted crucifix position and began attacking her defenseless foe with elbows and punches. Shevchenko gradually increased the speed and intensity of her elbows until referee Dan Miragliotta mercifully stepped in on Andrade’s behalf.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Shevchenko’s latest victory was her complete control in the wrestling aspect of the fight. At least one person wasn’t surprised.

“I want to say one thing. My opponents are trying to figure out what is a weakness of mine,” Shevchenko said. “Don’t waste your time. There (are) none.”

Weidman Suffers Gruesome Leg Injury


Chris Weidman’s rematch with Uriah Hall ended in a most unfortunate fashion, as his leg snapped after landing the first leg kick of their middleweight contest. Weidman collapsed to the canvas in agony, and the bout was waved off immediately, just 17 seconds after it began. Hall has won four straight within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The result was reminiscent of Weidman’s title defense against Anderson Silva at UFC 168, when “The Spider” broke his leg on a checked kick in their December 2013 bout. Weidman (15-6, 11-6 UFC) was taken from the Octagon on a stretcher, while a visibly distressed Hall (17-9, 11-6 UFC) tried to come to terms with what just happened.

“I got nothing but respect for Chris Weidman. He’s truly one of the best,” said Hall, who did not throw a strike in the bout. “It is a crazy story that he was the first man that defeated me…It’s just crazy how we ended up here again.

“I wanted to put on a great performance. I feel so bad for him. I hope he’s OK. It’s the sucky part of this sport. It’s the hurt business.”

Weidman and Hall initially squared off at a Ring of Combat event in 2010, with the former middleweight champion winning by first-round technical knockout.

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Smith Leg Kick Stops Crute


It only takes one perfectly-placed low kick to ruin a fighter’s night.

Jimmy Crute found out that out the hard way against Anthony Smith, as their light heavyweight contest was stopped after one round when the Australian was rendered unable to continue thanks to a leg kick from his opponent. Smith’s kick landed on the outside of Crute’s left knee, causing his leg to buckle immediately. “The Brute” was able to survive the rest of the frame by landing a pair of takedowns, but the bout was waved off when he continued to struggle to find his footing prior to the beginning of Round 2.

“I couldn’t feel my leg,” Crute admitted. “In the second round I was just gonna come in and pull guard, because I couldn’t stand on it.”

Early on, it was Smith’s jab that was making an impact. The former light heavyweight title challenger pumped his lead hand into Crute’s mug repeatedly, even making his opponent stumble backward on one occasion. Meanwhile, Crute (12-2, 4-2 UFC) attacked Smith’s leg with low kicks of his own in return. Ultimately, it was “Lionheart” who landed the most decisive leg kick of the fight.

“I’ve always been a big kicker,” said Smith (35-16, 10-7 UFC), who earned his sixth finish at 205 pounds. “I just haven’t been setting it up enough.”

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