UFC 261: Kamaru Usman Destroys Jorge Masvidal, Rose Namajunas Dethrones Zhang Weili

Kamaru Usman showed his greatness as he dominantly defended his UFC welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal.

Usman’s (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) savage KO against one of the toughest fighters in the UFC shut down all of his critics, additionally backing up those who believe that he is currently the most dominant fighter in the organization. At 1:02 of the second round, Usman unleashed an overhand right, hitting Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) directly into the chin, sending him down to the ground.

Gamebred was helpless, having no control over his body, and after a few hammerfists, the referee in the ring, Herb Dean, had to stop the bout.

“With my fundamentals, I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now,” Usman said after the match.

That KO was extreme violence in one swing.

The fans need to stop hating on kamaru Usman 😤 https://t.co/X090TOkQ7X

— Aderomola (@TheSawgee) April 25, 2021

And the way he knocked out tonight’s challenger, his words make sense.

The start of the battle wasn’t that interesting, as Usman managed to take down Masvidal, who eventually broke loose of the champion’s grip getting back to his feet. After that, the 36-year old tried to pressure the champ, sending one punch and a flying knee, but that didn’t harm Usman.

It was pretty much the same in the second, as both fighters waited for one another’s mistake, before Usman’s thunder light right, which could easily end up in the competition for the best KO of the year.

For Kamaru, this was the fourth consecutive title defense in the division, and the 14th straight win in the UFC, narrowing the gap between him and Anderson Silva, the current record-holder, to just two victories.

I told everybody I’m still getting better. The sky is the limit for me as long as I’m doing this,” he stated following the event.

AND STILLLLLL!!! 👊🏿🌍🤴🏿 pic.twitter.com/RSpyKWvUkx

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) April 25, 2021

As for Masvidal, Gamebred suffered his second loss in a row, both against Usman. With 36-years, this was his last chance to win the title per the majority of the experts. The fan-favorite known for his trash talk and casual style didn’t have much to say following the event, except that he lost to a better man.

“He’s got my number, man,” Masvidal said. “He beat me fair and square. God bless him, man.”

One upset took place at the UFC 261. The UFC strawweight division has a new champion. Rose Namaunas (10-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) posted a win over the title-holder, Zhang Weili (21-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), reclaiming what was in her possession from 2017 to 2019.

With 1:18 of the first round, Namajunas struck Weili with a superb head kick, stunning the opponent and leaving her without any orientation. The referee Keith Peterson had to stop the bout after Namajunas’ hammerfists.

“I didn’t see her moving,” Namajunas said. “I wasn’t sure if she was gonna come back from that. A couple hammerfists I let go, and she was out.”

MY GOODNESS! 👀

Rose Namajunas (+170) knocks out Weili Zhang to win the UFC Strawweight Championship! 🦶#UFC261 pic.twitter.com/XC1Qn8e07U

— FOX Bet Sportsbook (@FOXBet) April 25, 2021

She was previously the strawweight champion after defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2017, but lost it to Jessica Andrade two years later.

Andrade (21-9 MMA, 12-7 UFC) also appeared in the octagon tonight, challenging the women’s UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko (21-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC). Shevchenko routinely defeated the Brazilian, with a TKO at 3:19. It was her fifth title defense.

The challenger had no chance whatsoever, with Shevchenko dictating the tempo all along, and collecting points mostly through takedowns which he had six. When the time came, the Bullet as the fans call the Kyrgystai fighter, shifted into a higher gear, started harassing Andrade, before finishing her off.