Nigerian-born Kamaru Usman has become the first fighter in the history of MMA to knock Jorge Masvidal out with a dangerous right hand at UFC 261.
The 33-year-old Nigerian subdued his 36-year-old American opponent at 1 minute, 2 seconds of the second round of their fight that took place in Jacksonville, Florida, to retain UFC welterweight title.
That was the first time Masvidal has been beaten by KO/TKO since 2008.
When the fight ended, Usman said: “Y’all said you wanted violence, you’re welcome. First and foremost, no disrespect, thanks to Jorge. You elevated me and it’s been a while since I’ve been nervous for a fight but I had to go to the workshop and bring all my tools for this fight.
“I am still getting better all the time and this fight proves it. Coach kept yelling at me to stay with the fundamentals and that’s it. I know I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now with these fundamentals.’
After the defeat, Masvidal said: “I’ve never been knocked out in 50 pro fights and Usman brought something he didn’t show in the first fight.
“That’s what happens when you get overconfident and he won this fair and square.”
The 14-fight win streak of Usman holds the second-longest in the history of UFC, behind Anderson Silva’s 16-fight win streak that happened between 2006 and 2012.
