Saturday’s UFC 261 featured two dominant performances by defending champions and one new titleholder who reclaimed her belt.
Kamaru Usman proved he’s nonetheless getting higher when he knocked out Jorge Masvidal, and Valentina Shevchenko made a case to be included within the GOAT dialog. In the meantime, Rose Namajunas delivered as soon as once more in an enormous second.
ESPN reporters Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Phil Murphy react to the important thing moments from the cardboard in Jacksonville, Florida.
Helwani: Usman proved there is not any one higher
After beating his rival Jorge Masvidal — through a vicious proper hand, the likes of which we have by no means seen from him earlier than — in the primary occasion of UFC 261, Kamaru Usman instructed Joe Rogan that he considers himself the perfect pound-for-pound fighter on this planet.
And you understand what? Now that Khabib Nurmagomedov has formally retired, I feel he is proper.
I do not assume that is me being a prisoner of the second. The person has a really sturdy case that’s price recognizing.
Allow us to depend the methods:
He is now received 18 consecutive general and 14 straight within the UFC.
AND STILLLLLL!!! ????? pic.twitter.com/RSpyKWvUkx
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) April 25, 2021
He has the second-best successful streak to start out a UFC profession (14) behind Anderson Silva‘s 16 straight.
That was his fifth welterweight title struggle victory, which now ties Pat Miletich for third-most wins in 170-pound title fights. Solely legends Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes have extra.
He is been so dominant, he now has to struggle the blokes he is already crushed once more — Colby Covington, who he defeated in a traditional again in December 2019, is subsequent.
And maybe most spectacular of all? It nonetheless feels, in any case these fights, like he is getting higher.
Bear in mind “30% Usman”? Bear in mind “Snoozeman”? Who dares name Kamaru Usman boring after his final two performances?
You merely cannot.
There was as soon as a time the place the followers — and let’s be trustworthy, UFC president Dana White, too — felt like he performed it secure manner too typically. This didn’t endear Usman to the general public.
However that’s not the case. He simply handed Masvidal his second TKO loss ever (in Masvidal’s 50th professional struggle) and his first since 2008. Amazingly, the final time Masvidal was stopped was in 2009, through submission. In different phrases, this does not occur typically.
However thanks largely to the latest work he is finished with Trevor Wittman in Colorado, who additionally guided Rose Namajunas to an exhilarating win tonight as properly, Usman has changed into one of the crucial well-rounded fighters on the planet.
Heck, perhaps even the perfect, too.
I might put his latest resume up there with anybody’s, together with Nurmagomedov’s.
And whereas I do know it has bothered Usman up to now that he did not get the eye and love that a number of the different stars within the UFC acquired, I do not assume he ought to fear about that anymore. His combating is doing the speaking lately. His star is shining vivid. The perfect seems but to come back for “The Nigerian Nightmare.”
Life is nice — actually extra dream than nightmare — for the UFC’s new pound-for-pound king.
Wagenheim: Saturday’s pay-per-view was the sort of occasion solely the UFC can produce
Valentina Shevchenko had simply painted one other masterpiece, including to a wonderfully bulging portfolio of masterpieces. The UFC girls’s flyweight champion, arguably essentially the most dominant of all of the struggle promotion’s elite title belt holders, had completely mauled former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade, taking her down seven occasions earlier than bloodying her up and ending her from a harmful, demoralizing mounted triangle place at three:19 of Spherical 2.
Then Shevchenko, a 33-year-old in her prime and Kyrgyzstan’s biggest export, began to bop. She all the time dances to indicate that she has as soon as once more prolonged her successful streak, twirling and twirling on the middle of the cage. With this win, it is now seven victories in a row. It has been a full decade since Shevchenko has misplaced to anybody however Amanda Nunes, the two-division champ and the GOAT of ladies’s MMA.
It was a powerful championship second at UFC 261 on Saturday night time in Jacksonville, Florida. And when it was over, the followers — sure, there have been some 15,000 pandemic-defying followers inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Enviornment, the primary stay U.S. crowd at a UFC occasion in over a yr — didn’t head for the exits, gleefully buzzing concerning the greatness that they had simply witnessed. No, that they had barely sufficient time to attract a couple of calming breaths earlier than one other pair of ladies entered the Octagon for one more championship struggle.
And that turned out to be the second of the night time.
In a extremely anticipated conflict of strawweight champion vs. former champ, Rose Namajunas regained the title with a shocking first-round head kick that crumbled Zhang Weili and her 21-fight successful streak. The tip got here simply 1:18 into the bout, leaving Zhang protesting what she stated was a untimely stoppage (it was not) and Namajunas tearfully proclaiming, “I am the perfect” (she is, not less than at 115 kilos).
And guess what: There nonetheless was a title struggle primary occasion to come back.
That one delivered the night’s coup de grace, as welterweight champion Kamaru Usman knocked Jorge Masvidal out chilly with one howitzer of a proper hand, incomes his second victory over Masvidal in 9 months. After getting the higher of Masvidal in each hanging and grappling exchanges all through the primary spherical, Usman closed the present with a crushing end at 1:02 of Spherical 2, moments after Masvidal had smiled at Usman after absorbing a punch. The champ then wiped the smile off his challenger’s face, securing his fourth title protection and 18th consecutive victory.
That is three championship bouts that includes 5 fighters who put on or have worn title belts. All competing on one night time beneath one roof.
That’s what separates the UFC from all different organizations in sports activities. Boxing delivers large fights as properly, however doles them out sparingly, usually simply separately on these uncommon nights when the best within the recreation collide. That is additionally the case for different MMA organizations, which would not have the roster depth of the UFC and can’t load up struggle playing cards like Saturday’s. This occasion was extra like a full night’s slate of NBA or MLB postseason video games, encompassing all of the twists and dramatic turns.
Not each UFC occasion is so transcendent, after all. There is a struggle card virtually each weekend, and a few weeks the primary occasion produces barely a ripple in any weight division’s prime 10. However an evening like Saturday delivers followers the “And there is extra!” draw of these previous Ronco infomercials on late-night TV, by which the provides stored constructing and constructing till they sounded too good to be true. Besides this product delivered on all of its guarantees.
Okamoto: Shevchenko fights her manner into GOAT dialog
I already felt like this going into UFC 261, and Valentina Shevchenko’s efficiency solely bolstered it: There’s a battle for the title of feminine GOAT in MMA.
It seems like the subject of feminine GOAT is already wrapped up within the minds of many. We discuss with double champ Amanda Nunes because the GOAT as whether it is an absolute. As in, there is no such thing as a one even remotely near the dialog. And I sort of perceive it, after all. She is the double champ. She’s taken out the perfect names in two divisions, dominantly. And most significantly, she has two wins over Shevchenko.
However, I scored that second struggle between Nunes and Shevchenko again in 2017 for Shevchenko. So did one of many judges concerned. It was a cut up determination win for Nunes, and much from a definitive consequence. And in addition remember, that is in a weight class the place Nunes holds a bodily benefit. Shevchenko is the one taking over the problem of shifting up in weight each time she fights Nunes.
I am not saying any of this to remove what Nunes has finished, removed from it. However I am telling you proper now, there’s a case to be made that Shevchenko is the best feminine fighter we have ever seen.
Raimondi: Namajunas delivers as soon as once more in large second
1:43
Chael Sonnen marvels at Rose Namajunas’ superb knockout of Zhang Weili and apologizes for beforehand not recognizing her as one of many biggest of all time.
Rose Namajunas brazenly contemplated retirement after shedding the UFC girls’s strawweight title to Jessica Andrade two years in the past. She has been open about mental-health points, particularly the post-traumatic stress she suffered following the notorious Conor McGregor bus assault in 2018. However as soon as once more on Saturday night time, Namajunas proved she is likely one of the most mentally powerful fighters within the UFC by delivering in one other essential second.
Namajunas stopped Zhang Weili with a head kick to regain the ladies’s strawweight title. When 2021 is up, Namajunas’ end will probably be a candidate for knockout of the yr.
Rose Namajunas left the Octagon with gold round her waist ? #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/QrdjNHV8HF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2021
Namajunas grew to become the primary feminine fighter in UFC historical past to regain a title she misplaced beforehand. Andrade slammed Namajunas on her head — in a bout Namajunas was successful — at UFC 237 in Could 2019. At that second, it was unclear if she would ever struggle once more. She stated so herself. This was nothing new for Namajunas, although. She failed in her first shot on the title, in 2014 towards Carla Esparza on the Final Fighter Finale. Three years after that loss, Namajunas knocked out Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win the belt.
She did it once more Saturday night time. Namajunas has two profession KO victories, and each got here in title challenges. It does not get any extra clutch than that.
Murphy: Smith proves title hopes aren’t completed; Crute’s inventory nonetheless excessive
Anthony Smith’s completely positioned kick, which rendered Jimmy Crute unable to struggle within the second spherical due to a leg harm, proved Smith’s title hopes nonetheless have some life. This was his first non-headlining struggle after a UFC-record — for a non-champion — seven consecutive primary occasions. Smith is just 32, and this win will age properly.
After the struggle was waved off, @lionheartasmith and @CruteJim embraced within the Octagon ?
Stream #UFC261 on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/11j8ptNbRf pic.twitter.com/gmjOzwZR32
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2021
For Crute, Jacksonville confirmed its appreciation of his chest-pounding willingness to struggle on one leg. That picture will stick to lots of people. Assuming he rebounds — and sensible matchmaking ought to facilitate that — this loss will carry a positive asterisk, very similar to Sean O’Malley’s to Chito Vera. And since the struggle itself was aggressive earlier than Crute’s harm, the UFC can maintain Smith-Crute 2 in its again pocket for a wet day.
Many could discover Saturday’s stoppage dissatisfying in a vacuum as a result of nobody desires to see an harm finish a struggle. However the end result is Smith’s inventory rises, Crute’s might stay largely unaffected and an urge for food for rebooking stays.