In the first UFC card in front of a full crowd since the start of the coronavirus, ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman made the fifth defense of his welterweight title by knocking Jorge Masvidal out cold in Round two of their UFC 261 main event rematch inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
The win means Usman has now extended his streak to 14 fights. It also marked the first time Masvidal was stopped due to strikes in his eight-year UFC run.
Usman (19-1) was dominant throughout in terms of takedowns and top control on the ground.
Unlike their first meeting in 2020, in which Masvidal accepted the fight on late notice and lost a one-sided decision, the 36-year-old slugger had no excuses following a full training camp.
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Usman, 33, countered Masvidal’s outside leg kicks with clean right hands and stiff jabs throughout the opening round.
Although Masvidal remained competent from his back and landed a series of short elbows, the round closed with a big right hand from Usman and a jumping knee from Masvidal before the two rivals exchanged words after the horn and needed to be separated.
Shorty after, things took a much more violent turn.
Usman caught Masvidal (35-15) flush with a clean right cross which turned his chin and left him unconscious at 1:02 of Round two.
Speaking after the win, Usman admits being nervous before the fight.
“No disrespect, thank you to my man Jorge,” Usman said. “You elevated me and it has been a while since I have been extremely nervous to fight. He elevated me and made me go to the workshop and I had to sharpen my tools tonight. I am still getting better. The sky is the limit for as long as I am doing this.
“I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now.”
