14-0 (19-1-0) Welterweight star Kamaru Usman put the entire UFC welterweight division on noticen – he’s only scratching the surface on his potential. Jorge Masvidal became the latest victim Saturday his home state ,Florida, in front of 15,000 fans in UFC’s first action post pandemic in the state.
During their first bout back in July of 2020, Jorge Masvidal stepped in on 1 weeks notice to prepare for the championship fight versus the undefeated Usman and made the bout competitive during periods of the fight, but Usman’s clinching and wrestling tactics were no match for Jorge. Throughout much of the first bout Usman controlled the fight, hemming Jorge against the cage and draining him out physically. In the center of the octagon Jorge landed several shots, revealing at the time he wasn’t afraid to exchange with the champ (Jorge has been known for his striking in the UFC, connecting on 48 percent of his significant strikes). After the bout, Jorge made it known…give him a full fight camp to train and the results would be different.
Masvidal was right, the results would end differently Saturday. He didn’t lose by decision at UFC 261, he lost by being put to sleep emphatically from a double jab, right hand, 1-1-2 combo, followed by a ground and pound series of right hands that ended the fight. This loss was the first official knockout loss in Masvidal’s career and only the second due to striking. After the humbling defeat, he admitted during the presser he was not feeling the power in their first bout and got a bit cocky/overconfident.
What’s next for Usman?
Dana White has already made it clear, the next fight for Usman is a rematch against MAGA’s Colby Covington, who is no stranger to publicly ridiculing any person or athlete who denounces racism, calling the Black Lives Matter movement a sham, or being silent on police brutality. After UFC 261 Dana told reporters the next title defense for Kamara Usman would be Colby, who happened to be in attendance Saturday night.
With Masvidal being knocked out cold at UFC 261, Colby Covington jumps in as the number 1 contender to dethrone Usman as Welterweight champion. If you remember, Usman broke Colby’s jaw during UFC 245 – winning by knockout/stoppage in the 5th round. Usman landed nearly 50 percent of his strikes, while successfully landing two take downs.
Colby has stated with his new team behind him, he’s ready to avenge the defeat and believes he has the best chance to take down the undefeated welterweight champion.
P.S. Conor McGregor traded shots back forth with the welterweight champion this weekend, aluuding to a potential fight down the line with Usman and criticizing the champ for allegedly biting his fighting style in and out of the octagon. Advice for Conor – Sit this one out bud.
Stay tuned for the UFC’s official announcement of Usman vs. Covington 2.