Did Kamaru Usman get the 'BMF' belt after UFC 261 win over Jorge Masvidal?
Kamaru Usman made quite a statement in his title rematch with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261. Not only did he walk away with a dominant knockout win, but 'The Nigerian Nightmare' also made it loud and clear who the current king in the welterweight division is.
However, Kamaru Usman was not crowned with the 'Baddest Motherf***er' belt Jorge Masvidal currently holds.
Generally, in the UFC, when one fighter beats another who holds a title, the belt changes hands and the winner becomes the new owner of the gold. That was not the case at UFC 261, though.
Kamaru Usman knocked Jorge Masvidal out cold in the second round of the bout with a massive right followed by some ground-and-pound to retain his UFC welterweight belt for the fourth time in a row. He also took his current streak to 14 wins, which is second-best in the UFC and only behind Anderson Silva's record of 16 consecutive victories.
Kamaru Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz, who is known for his banters with Jorge Masvidal's representatives, First Round Management, posted a picture online with a replica of the BMF belt.
Also Read: 3 reasons why BMF title should have been on the line for Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman at UFC 261.
Kamaru Usman has no interest in the BMF belt
Kamaru Usman fought Jorge Masvidal with only the UFC welterweight title on the line and not the silver-plated BMF strap that 'Gamebred' earned via a doctor's stoppage TKO over Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019.
However, if the fiery exchange between Usman and Masvidal at the pre-fight conference was anything to go by, it does not seem like the Nigerian-American champion missed out on anything he wanted in the first place.
While never recognized as an official UFC gold, Jorge Masvidal proudly carries around the BMF belt whenever the opportunity presents itself. When asked if the BMF belt would be on the line at UFC 261, Masvidal said that one needs to be a 'BMF' to fight for the belt, and Kamaru Usman was not one.
"You gotta be a BMF to compete for that one, and this dude ain't it," Jorge Masvidal said.
Kamaru Usman had an equally heated response and said the belt Masvidal held is unimportant and irrelevant.
"What belt? There's three belts, three shiny belts here. This is what's important. Not that piece of sh*t."
The fight with Kamaru Usman did not go well for Jorge Masvidal, though. In his own words, Masvidal paid for getting 'overconfident' and not taking into consideration the power Kamaru Usman brings to the octagon.
Despite the pair's raging rivalry leading up to the fight, Masvidal was gracious in defeat and gave due credit to Kamaru Usman.