Jorge Masvidal came into the fight with a full-camp behind him, a healthy weight cut, and a much better looking physique ahead of his second attempt to capture the UFC’s welterweight gold Masvidal looked so confident about beating Usman that he was already promising a potential trilogy should get triumph over Usman. However, that wasn’t the case as Usman finished Masvidal in the most convincing manner to put a stop to this epic rivalry between both the fighters. So what went wrong for Jorge Masvidal in the rematch at UFC 261?
Jorge Masvidal broke down his shortcoming in the post-fight interview quite well. Masvidal mentioned how he became overconfident and did not compliment Usman’s striking ability and power. As evident from the fight, Masvidal was involved in showboating from the start, while it has been his game plan, Usman made great use of it. It also looked like Masvidal did not come in to finish Usman, but rather to advance slowly into the rounds and earn the victory on the judge’s scorecards.
Jorge Masvidal did not show up at UFC 261
Even if we look at Masvidal’s last performance against Usman back at UFC 251, Gamebred showed his explosive side right from the beginning, landing several significant kicks. However, it was missing at UFC 261, where Masvidal looked out of touch from the very start, getting hit by several significant strikes from Usman.
Masvidal also mentioned that the wrong game plan cost him the fight and that he came to wrestle with Usman. While one can’t blame Masvidal for thinking Usman would go for a wrestling-heavy approach because of the last fight, the Nigerian Nightmare has time and again shown his striking prowess. In the end, it was Masvidal’s ignorance towards Usman’s power.
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Kamaru Usman’s granite chin and his explosive power give him an edge over other fighters. Additionally, his jab works all night whenever he incorporates it in his game plan. Despite stoppage finishes over some of the toughest fighters in the form of Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns, Masvidal failed to defend himself. Needless to say, it was Usman‘s night from the start to finish, who showed why he is the better mixed martial artist.