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The highly anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal finally went down on Saturday night at UFC 261 in Las Vegas, Nevada. And “The Nigerian Nightmare” ended the rivalry emphatically.
They first fought in July, going all five rounds with Usman retaining his belt via lackluster unanimous decision. However, the welterweight champion earned a stunning KO of Masvidal during their main event contest on April 24.
It was the first time Masvidal had been stopped via strikes since 2008.
With the victory, Usman successfully defended his belt for the fourth time and as per UFC president Dana White, he will rematch No. 1-ranked Colby Covington for his next fight.
See how Usman and Masvidal’s colleagues reacted to his stunning KO victory below:
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Fighters React to Usman’s KO of Masvidal
Colby Covington took to Twitter after the fight, writing, “Marty looked like trash, but it’s not like you have to be any good to beat @GamebredFighter. What’s that now 20 losses? Backstabbing bum.”
Marty looked like trash, but it’s not like you have to be any good to beat @GamebredFighter. What’s that now 20 losses? Backstabbing bum. #ufc261
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling wrote, “Greatest Welterweight of ALL TIME!! Jesus!! That right hand was a missile!!”
Greatest Welterweight of ALL TIME!! Jesus!! That right hand was a missile!! #UFC261
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping wrote, “Ain’t no argument now!”
Ain’t no argument now!
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz wrote, “Wow- that right hand came heavy.”
No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight and Usman’s last opponent Gilbert Burns wrote, “Congratulations to the champion @USMAN84kg with no doubt one of if not the best pound for pound fighter in the world! Good job!”
Congratulations to the champion @USMAN84kg with no doubt one of if not the best pound for pound fighter in the world! Good job! 👏🏾👏🏾 #ufc261
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, “Wow @USMAN84kg amazing!!”
Wow @USMAN84kg amazing!!
UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland wrote, “So is that BMF belt up for grabs now?”
UFC welterweight star Mike Perry wrote, “I love you @GamebredFighter.”
I love you @GamebredFighter
“I love you too @USMAN84kg,” he continued. “But I love masvidal more @GamebredFighter.”
But I love masvidal more @GamebredFighter
The Ultimate Fighter season one finalist and longtime UFC veteran Kenny Florian wrote, “Usman with the finish! Continues to get sharper, smarter and deadlier as champ. Wow!”
Usman with the finish! Continues to get sharper, smarter and deadlier as champ. Wow!
UFC 261 Results
Here are the full fight-card results for UFC 261.
Main Card
Kamaru Usman def. Jorge Masvidal via second-round KO
Rose Namajunas def. Weili Zhang via first-round KO
Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Andrade via second-round TKO
Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman via first-round TKO
Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute via first-round TKO
Preliminary Card
Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveira via first-round submission
Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Brendan Allen def. Karl Roberson via first-round submission
Patrick Sabatini def. Tristan Connelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Early Preliminary Card
Danaa Batgerel def. Kevin Natividad via first-round TKO
Kazula Vargas def. Rong Zhu via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Jeffrey Molina def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Ariane Carnelossi def. Na Liang via second-round TKO
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Fighters React to Kamaru Usman’s KO of Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261