Ahead of the UFC 261 rematch, what does the Usman vs Masvidal 1 scorecard tell us about their first fight?
Kamaru Usman will face Jorge Masvidal in a rematch that is scheduled to headline UFC 261. Usman had previously faced Masvidal at UFC 251 and put in a dominant performance to pick up a unanimous decision win.
Ahead of the rubber match at UFC 261, let's take a look at the scorecard from the first outing between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.
Jorge Masvidal started off well in the first round, landing a few crisp shots to put the champion on notice. However, the fight took a whole new turn from the second round onwards as Kamaru Usman used excellent clinch work to completely stifle Masvidal's standup.
Although severely criticized for inaction, Kamaru Usman emerged as the winner with the scorecards reading 50-45, 50-45, 49-46. Jorge Masvidal even won the first round, according to judge David Lethaby, but all three judges seemed to agree on Usman's dominance there on.
What led to the rematch between Usman and Masvidal
For their first matchup at UFC 251, Jorge Masvidal stepped in at 6 days notice to replace Gilbert Burns, Usman's scheduled opponent. Although Masvidal was gracious in his defeat he hinted at a slight disadvantage due to a short training camp. Immediately suggesting a rematch. Masvidal said in the post-fight presser:
“The weight cut was tough like everybody knows. I had a little bit of weight to cut but I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. He won. I gambled the dice on myself. I knew I didn’t have the greatest gas tank coming in but I’m still a dangerous man. Six days, one day, six weeks, so hats off to him. We’ll do it again.”
Kamaru Usman successfully defended the UFC welterweight title for the third time against Gilbert Burns at UFC 258. Usman immediately issued a callout to Jorge Masvidal in the aftermath of his victory. Sharing the reason for choosing Masvidal as an opponent, Kamaru Usman told Brett Okamoto from ESPN:
"At this point, I just didn't like all the circumstances I had to deal with going into [the first fight with Masvidal], and it left a sour taste in my mouth. The s--t they've talked has left a sour taste in my mouth. I need to put him in the ground for good."