Kamaru Usman left no doubt in the Octagon on Saturday night in his win over title challenger Jorge Masvidal. The welterweight champion delivering a devastating second-round knockout to retain the belt and push his UFC win streak to 14-straight.
Usman and Masvidal previously met in the cage back in July 2020. Usman defeated Masvidal by unanimous decision but the fact that he didn't finish Masvidal, who entered the fight on short notice in place of Gilbert Burns, left some doubt. Masvidal and his fans believed that with a full camp he could defeat the champion.
Well, Masvidal got his wish for a rematch and Usman delivered a blow that will ultimately end the rivalry once and for all. Leaving no room for doubt, Usman connected with a powerful right hand in the second round that sent Masvidal to the mat where the champion followed up with devastating hammer fists. Masvidal eventually lost consciousness and the referee stepped in to call the fight.
Although the main event was short-lived, it lived up to the hype. Masvidal, who was clearly the crowd favorite, found some success early on and it was perhaps his overconfidence that led to his downfall. Believing he could eat Usman's shots as he did in their first meeting, Masvidal was caught with his hands down and paid the ultimate price.
Both fighters were respectful to one another after the fight, but Usman made the bold claim that he is now the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. And with a 14-fight win streak in the UFC -- which is the second-longest in the promotion's history behind only Anderson Silva's 16-fight unbeaten run from 2006-2012 -- Usman has resume to back up that statement.
Usman has now successfully defended the UFC Welterweight title four times after winning it at UFC 235 in March 2019. Along the way, he's taken out some pretty big names including Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns. Up next for the champion is undoubtedly a rematch against the trash-talking Covington.
The two previously met at UFC 245 in December 2019 and Usman came away with a fifth-round TKO win. There is some serious bad blood between these two fighters and it should be an exciting rematch.