UFC 261: Round Up

UFC 261: Round Up

Kamaru Usman defended and retained his UFC Welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal in epic fashion. Usman won the contest in round two following a right-hand on Masvidal to knock him out and still be number one in the division.

The champion showed his dominance in the first round as he made his striking and ground game apparent, before he stepping up a gear in the following round.

He remains unbeaten in the UFC and retains his title he has held since beating Tyron Woodley in 2019 at UFC 235 and with Colby Covington in the crowd, it may spark a possible rematch between the two .

In front of 1️⃣5️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣!

Thank you, Jacksonville. #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/ZD9SrHZ5VW

— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2021

UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, was the first event the MMA promotion to be held in front of a packed crowd in over a year in which UFC events had to take place behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions.

The fans in attendance made known their presence and it wasn’t long before they made their Jake Paul chants heard around the arena. This wouldn’t be the last of Jake Paul at the event as he and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier had to be seperated following a heated confrontation.

Daniel Cormier online
“Imma Smack Jake Paul when I see him”

Daniel Cormier in person… ? pic.twitter.com/zHnssneYBV

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 25, 2021

In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas became the new UFC Women’s Strawweight champion following a first-round knockout victory over Weili Zhang with a vicious high kick to win back the title she lost two years ago.

In other matches on the card, Valentina Shevchenko put on a dominant and vintage display to retain her UFC Flyweight title with a TKO victory over Jessica Andrade in round two.

Shevchenko’s wrestling was too strong for her opponent on the night, eventually ending the contest with a string of elbows to cement her place as queen of the Flyweight division.

In the first bout of the main card, Anthony Smith also won his match by TKO against Jimmy Crute with an effective leg kick at the back of Crute’s knee. Despite Crute’s best effort to continue, it wasn’t enough to convince the doctor to continue the contest as he appeared to struggle walking back for round two.

On a sad note, former UFC Middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, unfortunately broke his leg in his match against Uriah Hall as he attempted a leg kick in the opening stages of the contest. Weidman has been taken to hospital and is expected to have surgery on the injury.

Everyone at Sporting Ferret wishes him a speedy recovery.

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘UFC 261: Round Up.’ What was your favourite fight of UFC 261? Where do you think Usman ranks in the pound for pound rankings? Let us know!

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