Kamaru Usman defeated Jorge Masvidal to retaine his welterweight title with a smothering victory at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.
Usman (17-1) earned his 16th straight MMA victory and defended his belt for the second time with a cerebral, technical performance against the Masvidal (35-14).
Usman vs. Masvidal came together on a week’s notice after Gilbert, Burns, who was scheduled to fight Usman, tested positive for COVID-19.
Here's the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal scorecard for those curious #UFC251 pic.twitter.com/k25CytmYyO
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 12, 2020
Usman was victorious after two jugdes scored it 50-45 for him, and a third had it 49-46.
“[Masvidal] is the biggest, baddest dude out there right now,” Usman said after the fight.
“I had to switch gears and prepare for him on six days’ notice. I know a lot was made of him taking the fight on short notice, but all these guys are preparing for one guy, and that’s me at the top of the mountain. I had to make a mental shift. I had a completely different game plan.”
Usman’s strategy was clear: grind and wear Masvidal out. And it worked completely.
Masvidal and Usman had been feuding since a verbal altercation on Super Bowl radio row back in February.
Usman with this win has equalled St Pierre's 12 straight welterweight victories #UFC251
— IYK🦊 (@IKdarko) July 12, 2020
Usman’s 12 straight wins ties lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for the longest active winning streak in the UFC. That figure also ties Georges St-Pierre for the longest winning streak in UFC welterweight history.
