Kamaru Usman has won his 12th straight match and retained his Welterweight championship title after defeating Jorge Masvidal in 5 rounds. The match, which held at the UFC Fight Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, was the main fight of the night.
From the very moment the bell rang, Masvidal was determined to put up a good fight. Facing Usman was not going to be a small feat, and Masvidal came out with everything he had, charging towards Usman with so much viciousness. Usman scores a kick, sending Masvidal to the floor. Masvidal quickly gets back on his feet and throws some kicks himself. He also lands some elbow on Usman, who is now being tactical. A clinch from Usman ends the round, and Masvidal has a cut already.
Masvidal is the first person to strike in the second round as he kicks Usman. Usman then holds Masvidal in a kick, and the other man us unable to break free, even though he tries hard. After they separate, Usman lands a punch and heads Masvidal, opening another cut on his head. Usman gets him in a clinch again, and this time, he throws in a few punches using his hands and shoulders. They then separate and hit each other. Masvidal lands a right jab just before the match ends.
The third round is where things get a little lazy. Both fighters just manage to clinch the other when they can. No one is throwing any real punch or bring the fight to the other. But Usman finally takes down Masvidal, who then scampers to get on his feet. Usman still finds a way to get him down again, hooking him and landing punches. He continues this till the round ends.
Usman is the first to begin this round with a kick, sending his opponent to the fence where he then pummels him. Masvidal attempts to break free, but he is not having much luck with it as Usman continues to oppress him. Even when he frees himself, Masvidal is already too weak and manages to just throw two punches. Usman has Masvidal at the fence again, clinched, before landing elbows on Masvidal’s sides.
By the fifth round, things get slow, but Usman is still very fresh and bright. He applies as much pressure as possible, not taking his lead for granted. Masvidal still pushes, even though all of his strength is gone. Usman then gets Masvidal in a clinch for the umpteenth time in the match, holding it till the round ends.
Usman wins the fight by unanimous decision after judges release the score as 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46. This is also his second title defence, and he appears to be very glad about it. After the match, he talked about how he expects more contenders now and stated that vacation is the only thing on his mind. He said, “I’m the champion. Everybody’s looking at me. There’s never going to be a shortage of contenders, guys trying to challenge for the title.”
Speaking on his opponent, he said,”‘ Gamebred’ is the biggest, baddest dude out there. I had to switch gears and get ready for him on six days’ notice. Gamebred is tough, and he showed it out there. He kept fighting, and he didn’t quit… I’m just levels better. I have more tools in the toolbox. When I need to pull them out, I can pull them out and use them.” Both fighters talked and hugged after the match.
