Watch: Crowd reaction as Kamaru Usman violently knocks out Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261
Kamaru Usman's reverse baptism of Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261 left a 15,000 strong crowd inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, momentarily stunned.
In a video clip doing the rounds on the internet, the entire arena can be seen being stunned into silence for a few moments as Usman puts Masvidal to sleep with a vicious right cross in the second round. The sheer ferocity of Kamaru Usman's strike had everyone in awe of The Nigerian Nightmare.
Note: The video below contains explicit language.
Jorge Masvidal is known for knocking out guys violently and also holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. Heading into the rematch, people expected the fight to be a typical grappler vs. striker matchup. Masvidal was expected to be the better striker, while Usman was expected to outclass Gamebred on the ground.
Kamaru Usman breaks out of his wrestling mold
But as the fight panned out, Kamaru Usman proved he's a better fighter than Masvidal in every aspect of the game. When the pair fought each other at UFC 251, Masvidal claimed that he didn't feel any power coming from Usman's hands.
Masvidal also slammed Kamaru Usman for his defensive strategy of using foot stomps instead of trying to cause serious damage to his opponent.
It was thought that this time, a much better prepared Masvidal would be able to handle takedown attempts much better. To be fair, Masvidal did well to get back up after being taken down. But he had no answer for what was about to follow in the second round when both fighters started trading shots in the center of the cage.
Feint with the jab followed by a perfectly timed cross by Usman landed on Masvidal's chin like a thunderbolt as he went crashing down on the canvas, knocked out cold. Kamaru Usman has delivered on his promise to finish Masvidal in the rematch.
There remains absolutely no doubt as to who is the better fighter among the two. Masvidal even seemed to acknowledge it after the fight.