Martial artist Kamaru Usman has again retained his position as the undisputed welterweight champion of UFC after defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville Florida on Sunday.
The Nigerian superstar, in a remarkable two-round knockout match, defeated Masvidal to retain his welterweight belt which has been in his possession since 2019.
U.S.-based Usman reportedly scored the most vicious knockout of 2021, after he dealt Masvidal a massive right-hand punch and a hammer fist to KO him out cold at the point of impact in the second round of the contest.
Usman’s recent victory extends his winning spree in MMA to 18 fights, with 14 straight victories in the UFC.
BBC reports that the bout was a rematch of an earlier meeting that took place at UFC 251 in July 2020 where Masvidal lost out to Usman on the scorecards after five exhausting rounds.
Speaking after extending his winning streak at Jacksonville on Sunday, Usman said he remains the best fighter on the planet at the moment.
“I know with my fundamentals, I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now,” he said.
“I told everybody, I’m still getting better. The sky’s the limit for me as long as I’m doing this.”
On his part, Masvidal who is suffering the first knockout loss of his 50-fight MMA career felt devastated to have lost the contest in front of his family and friends.
“First time in my career, and it’s in front of all my people, my family and my friends, so it hurts,” he said.
“I’ve never been knocked out in 50 pro fights. Usman showed me something that he didn’t show in the first fight. I didn’t feel his power, and that’s what happens when you get overconfident. I thought we were going to wrestle more.”
(Peoples Gazette)
