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The man who is likely next in line for a shot at welterweight gold was not impressed with Kamaru Usman’s performance at UFC 261.

Usman dispatched Jorge Masvidal via second-round knockout in Saturday’s headliner at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. “The Nigerian Nightmare” drew the rivalry with Masvidal to an emphatic close after taking a five-round verdict against the American Top Team product in their first meeting at UFC 251 this past July. Usman has now won 14 fights in row in UFC competition and looks to be one of the most dominant champions in the sport.

Still, it should come as no surprise that Colby Covington didn’t have anything positive to say about Usman’s latest triumph, which came against Covington’s former training partner.

“It took eight minutes longer than when I would finish Jorge Masvidal every time we trained,” Covington said on the ESPN post-fight show. “That guy’s a journeyman. What’s he got, 15, 20 losses on his recor…

Anthony Smith may have handed Jimmy Crute his second Ultimate Fighting Championship defeat on Saturday night at UFC 261, but he still holds the 25-year-old Australian light heavyweight prospect in high regard.

“I wish I was half as good as him at his age,” Smith said. “He’s night and day better than I am at that point, or better than I was at that age, at that point in his career. I don’t just don’t want him to get his head down, don’t hang your head, keep your head up high, he’s a warrior. Robert Whittaker is not going to be around forever, so someone is going to have to carry that torch for Australia, and I think he’s that guy.”

Smith ended Crute’s night when a perfectly-placed leg kick left “The Brute” unable to continue after the opening stanza. As Crute struggled to stand before Round 2, the bout was waved off.

Even though he was struggling to find his footing between rounds, it initially appeared as though Crute would come out for the second round. When Sm…

It took a few years to get there, but Kamaru Usman is receiving his due recognition from Dana White.

The UFC president praised Usman following the welterweight champion’s latest triumph, a second-round knockout of Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 261 main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night. It was Usman’s 14th consecutive win within the Las Vegas-based promotion, a streak that puts him ahead of such stars as Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Demetrious Johnson. Only former middleweight king Anderson Silva (16) has a longer winning streak in UFC history.

“No matter how you feel, the guy is getting booed in there tonight, (but) he’s one of the best ever,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “He’s on his way to probably being the greatest of all time. I mean, the guy is an absolute stud. He looks better every time he comes out.”

That praise is a far cry from White’s reaction to Usman three ye…

There has been some shuffling to this week’s PFL 2 lineup, and the end result is a welterweight showdown between Gleison Tibau and Joao Zeferino.

Tibau was originally slated to meet Alexey Kunchenko, while Zeferino was slated to face Magomed Magomedkerimov on Thursday’s card at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, both Kunchenko and Magomedkerimov were forced to withdraw from the event due to undisclosed reasons. Sherdog.com confirmed the changes with a source close to the situation on Sunday.

A veteran of 28 UFC bouts, Tibau enters his PFL debut on a two-fight winning streak after besting Efrain Escudero and Will Brooks in his last two outings. The 37-year-old Brazilian has not competed since submitting Brooks at Battlefield FC 2 in July 2019.

Zeferino, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five bouts. Most recently, he earned a unanimous verdict over Bojan Velickovic at a regular season PFL event in July 2019.

The PFL’…

She didn’t necessarily know if it would end the fight, but Rose Namajunas had an inkling that she would connect with a head kick at some point during her matchup with Weili Zhang at UFC 261.

As it turned out, the head kick made Namajunas a two-time UFC champion, as she floored Zhang with the maneuver before ending their co-main event bout with follow-up hammerfists on the mat 1:18 into the opening stanza at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Forida, on Saturday night.

The setup for the kick was almost as nice as the execution: Namajunas feinted a low kick with her lead leg before going upstairs and connecting cleanly with her opponent’s chin.

“I felt really good. I was calm. I had to control myself and control my breathing and stay calm. She kinda touched me with the low kicks and she hit a nice little jab, but I just stayed calm. I don’t know how to explain it I guess,” Namajunas said.

“I saw her body fall over really stiff and I was like, oh…

Kamaru Usman wasn’t pleased that Jorge Masvidal had a built-in excuse following their first meeting at UFC 251.

Usman garnered a five-round verdict over “Gambred” in that July bout, but Masvidal was able to claim that he was hindered by the lack of a full camp after accepting the fight on a week’s notice. Despite Usman’s victory being relatively clear cut, that little bit of doubt left a bad taste in his mouth, so “The Nigerian Nightmare” targeted Masvidal for a rematch following a stoppage of Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 in February.

The second time around, Usman brought some closure to the rivalry by knocking out Masvidal with a massive right hand and follow-up punches 62 seconds into Round 2 of their UFC 261 headlining bout at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night. He also found a measure of peace that he didn’t following UFC 251.

“I’m satisfied,” Usman said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s what I said, I was…

One bout removed from a five-round battle that was 2020’s “Fight of the Year,” Weili Zhang saw a 21-bout winning streak end in stunning fashion at UFC 261.

Zhang relinquished her strawweight crown when she was stopped by a Rose Namajunas head kick and follow-up hammerfists just 1:18 into the opening round of Saturday’s co-main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was Zhang’s first appearance since defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision in an instant classic at UFC 248 in March 2020.

Though Zhang initially protested the stoppage, she later released a statement on Instagram congratulating Namajunas and expressing belief in her own ability to bounce back from defeat.

“I want to congratulate Rose on her victory,” Weili wrote. “She bounced back from her defeat. I believe I will also come back, only beat a great champion, to become a legend, and beat a legend, I will become a new me. Before, my goal was to win the UFC cham…

At this point in her mixed martial arts career, it’s hard to believe that Valentina Shevchenko, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, would have anyone doubting her ability to succeed in the Octagon.

And yet, Shevchenko was able to find motivation in the pre-fight narrative that UFC 261 opponent Jessica Andrade would be able to overpower her in the clinch or on the canvas.

“I don’t have fear to go and fight, to go and wrestle, to go and grapple, I don’t have,” Shevchenko said. “I saw and hear a lot from Jessica that she is so secure that she can be stronger than me, than she can dominate me on the ground. I knew it, but I didn’t want to say nothing because I know my power and what I can do.

“That’s why I was like OK, let her believe in this, and then when she feels the power, real power of myself, she’s going to be double frustrated.”

When all was said and done, Shevchenko tied a flyweight record with seven takedowns before stopping Andrade…

If anyone can relate to the injury Chris Weidman suffered at UFC 261, it’s Anderson Silva.

Weidman suffered a gruesome leg break after throwing the first kick of the fight in his main card bout against Uriah Hall at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on Saturday night. The fight ended instantly as Weidman crumpled in agony to the canvas, and the former middleweight champion had to be stretchered out of the arena. According to a post-fight update from ESPN, Weidman was admitted to a hospital and will have surgery on Sunday.

The injury was eerily similar to the one Silva suffered throwing a leg kick against Weidman in their championship rematch at UFC 168 in December 2013. “The Spider” recovered to fight seven more times in the Octagon before parting ways with the promotion late last year.

On Saturday, Silva sent a heartfelt message of support to his former opponent on social media.

“My deepest and most sincere sentiments champ,” Silva wrote. “Ha…

Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas authored back-to-back candidates for “Knockout of the Year” at UFC 261, and both received some extra financial compensation for their efforts.

Usman retained his welterweight crown with a knockout of Jorge Masvidal in Saturday’s headliner at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, earning a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award in the process. A right hand from Usman dropped Masvidal, and several follow-up hammerfists sealed the deal 62 seconds into Round 2, giving “The Nigerian Nightmare” his 14th straight UFC triumph.

In the co-main event, Namajuas garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a title-winning finish of Weili Zhang. “Thug” Rose faked a low kick, then went upstairs with her lead leg, landing a perfectly-placed head kick on her opponent’s chin. Namajunas followed Zhang to the mat and finished the victory with strikes at the 1:18 mark of the opening stanza to reclaim t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Whether it’s on a full camp or short notice, Kamaru Usman has the antidote for Jorge Masvidal. Usman (19-1, 14-0 UFC) left no doubt in their rematch at UFC 261, knocking out “Gamebred” in the second round of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The end came 62 seconds into Round 2, as Usman floored Masvidal (35-14, 12-8 UFC) with a picture-perfect straight right hand and sealed the deal with approximately five hammerfists on the canvas.

“I know with my fundamentals I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now,” said Usman, who has won 14 consecutive fights in UFC competition, the second most in promotion history behind Anderson Silva.

The card was the UFC’s first in front of a capacity crowd since March 2020, and Usman gave them something…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 261 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:45 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith sc…

HE ONLY NEEDED ONE ARM @TouchNgo_

Stream #UFC261 on ESPN+ https://t.co/11j8ptNbRf pic.twitter.com/azQV4WvYwo

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Randy Brown’s rangy striking and crafty submission game proved to be a lethal combination against Alex Oliveira at UFC 261.

Brown (13-4, 7-4 UFC) won for the third time in his last four outings in the evening’s featured preliminary bout, submitting the veteran Brazilian with a rear-naked choke in front of a sellout crowd at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night. “Rude Boy” ended the welterweight bout 2:50 into Round 1, as he locked in a one-arm rear-naked choke. Oliveira (22-10-1, 2 NC, 11-8, 1 NC UFC) has lost five of his last seven promotional appearances.

The “Cowboy” enjoyed some success early, when he …

The heavyweight champion @phildefriesmma retains his title!! Becomes the first person to finish Tomasz Narkun in KSW!! #KSW60 pic.twitter.com/kkxsN3mnFU

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) April 24, 2021

Two reigning champions notched title defenses in the latest event held by Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki.

The KSW 60 main event saw heavyweight champion Phil De Fries (20-6) stop 205-pound titleholder Tomasz Narkun (18-4) in a clash for the heavyweight crown. The pair already met at KSW 47, where the Ultimate Fighting Championship vet outwrestled “Giraffe.” The rematch started with a flying knee attempt from Narkun, who missed the target but recomposed for a short exchange on the feet. Wanting to prove that he made some adjustments after their first clash, “Giraffe” shot for a successful takedown. A scramble phase followed before Narkun went for a kneebar. De Fries fought out of the submission attempt and ended on top of Narkun, ultimately forcing his opponent to c…

Clay Collard gets a 2nd knockdown!!! Can Pettis survive the 2nd round?!?!#2021PFL1LIVE NOW ESPN2https://t.co/T11Ogp2ycR pic.twitter.com/IDS9fOS5rV

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 24, 2021

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Professional Fighters League threw plenty of promotional heft behind Anthony Pettis after he signed as a free agent in February. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to Clay Collard.

Damaging power punching combinations and merciless forward pressure spurred Collard to a unanimous decision over the former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder in the 2021 PFL 1 headliner on Friday at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Scores were 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28, all for Collard (19-8, 1-0 PFL).

Pettis (24-11, 0-1 PFL) spent much of the first roun…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Sherdog's live PFL 2021 Season Opener coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 The 2021 PFL season kicks off in the lightweight division with 2019 runner-up Radzhabov (13-2-1) taking on Paraguayan prospect Martinez (7-0, 1 NC). The referee is Brazilian MMA legend Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. Both men set up in orthodox stance. Radzhabov comes in with a jab to the body and takes a kick to the cup for his trouble. After a brief break, they resume. Radzhabov comes in behind a couple of wide hooks and clinches. He trips Martinez to the canvas at the base of the fence. Martinez grabs a front headlock, stands, then locks up a guillotine and jumps to guard. He loses the choke right away as Radzhabov steps to side control. Two min…

The beginning of the end!!!!#LFA105 pic.twitter.com/USTsqDA08e

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 24, 2021

Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta is the new Legacy Fighting Alliance strawweight champion.

The main event of LFA 105 saw Giunta (6-0) face Svetlana Gotsyk in both of their promotional debuts. The power advantage of "La Fiera" became apparent seconds into the fight as she managed to hurt Gotsyk (13-5) several times. "Phoenix" would have her moments in the fight as Giunta's defense left her open to punches, but the Panama native kept advancing forward. The beating eventually became too much for Gotsyk to sustain as the fight was stopped at 1:16 of Round 5.

The co-main event was a featherweight battle between Jake Childers and Canaan Kawaihae. It was Kawaihae (6-1, 1 NC) that took advantage of the spot as the fighter locked in a ninja choke after stuffing a takedown. Childers (8-2) had nowhere to go and was forced to tap after just 2…

#AndStill ACA Heavyweight champion!

Tony Johnson finishes Dmitry Poberezhets via TKO! #ACA122 pic.twitter.com/sVCTnfO5v3

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) April 23, 2021 Things might not go well for the U.S.-based fighters competing in an MMA organization that has been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. In December, Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and his companies including the fight team Akhmat Fight Club and MMA organization Absolute Championship Akhmat were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The sanctions were levied for “serious human rights abuse across several countries in the Western Hemisphere, Middle East and Eurasia.” Kadyrov himself was marked in the past for extrajudicial killings and other gross violations of international human rights.

As a result, Kadyrov’s companies, including ACA, are forbidden to involve any Americans, with the Treasury Department strictly prohibiting any transactions with these properties a…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two Ultimate Fighting Championship belts will now be on the line at the tentpole event in June. Per UFC President Dana White on Friday in an interview with Bill Simmons, the promotion is looking to set up a rematch for the middleweight throne. Instead of Robert Whittaker taking on champ Israel Adesanya (20-1) again, however, Marvin Vettori (17-4-1) will get his crack at the title on June 12. Adesanya and Vettori will toe the line atop UFC 263, according to Combate, which does not currently have a location booked. The destination could be the UFC Apex in Las Vegas unless another venue opens up, but White did state at the UFC 261 press conference that the organization was looking at staging the card in Arizona.

The originally intended billing for this card was indeed Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2, but Whittaker was unable to make the …

The Clash of Champions!!!Pumped up @TomaszNarkun and calm @phildefriesmma.

Watch #KSW60 all over the world on KSWTV. KSW App available on iOS and Android. pic.twitter.com/sPXusQu8s0

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) April 23, 2021 It's champ vs. champ in the main event of KSW 60, and both men vying for the heavyweight throne were cleared to compete without issue. KSW 60 will take place on April 24 in Lodz, Poland, with a pair of title tilts serving in the main and co-main events. The headliner sees Philip De Fries (19-6) try to keep an iron grip on his throne against former challenger and current light heavyweight king Tomasz Narkun (18-3). The two first met in 2019, and the Brit emerged victorious after a dominant 25-minute battle. De Fries sees himself on a win streak of seven straight, and as he looks for his fifth consecutive defense, he made weight at 264 pounds.

Narkun, who holds the promotion's all-time record for the most consecutive title defens…

“The Burmese Python” Is BACKAung La N Sang FIGHTS for Myanmar! See the ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion in action NEXT WEDNESDAY on TNT! @AungLANsang @StephenTrumble @tntdrama @BleacherReport @BR_MMA @brlive #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT4 pic.twitter.com/FTjXc2WaSe

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 23, 2021 The upcoming One Championship show has just experienced a massive shakeup.

ESPN first reported on Friday that Vitaly Bigdash (10-2) has been forced out of his trilogy contest against Aung La N Sang (26-11, 1 NC) after testing positive for COVID-19. The two were looking to settle the score on the headliner of One on TNT 4 on April 28, which will be held inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. In Bigdash’s stead will be another rival of Aung La, as Reinier de Ridder (13-0) will get a chance to wrest Aung La’s 225-pound throne away as well. A promotion official has since confirmed this news to Sherdog, while a…

The Legacy Fighting Alliance hosts a strawweight title fight for its vacant championship today.

The main event of LFA 105 features Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta and Svetlana Gotsyk battling for gold and the knowledge that winning a championship in the LFA is the fastest way to get signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The eight-fight card is now official after the weigh-ins took place. Three fighters missed weight, but both main eventers hit their marks.

Giunta (5-0) will look to keep her undefeated record intact. The Panama native most recently defeated Kayla Hracho in January 2020. This is her first fight since the pandemic. "La Fiera" officially stepped on the scales at 114.8 pounds.

Also looking for the biggest win of her career is Gotsyk (13-4). The Ukraine fighter is on a three-fight win streak and has only lost once since losing to Weili Zhang in 2016. "Phoenix" tipped the scales at 114.6 pounds.

The LFA 105 main card will air live on UFC Fight Pa…

Now that the #LFA105 weigh-in is in the books, which fight are you looking forward to the most?

: https://t.co/79XqojTZtJ

: https://t.co/YDZRtZqpcK@ShellsDotCom@TheDiceTeam@GLCDirect2000@TeamSmartStop@SheathUnderwear@GrandCasinoOKC@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/feWjrr4dCj — LFA (@LFAfighting) April 23, 2021 The Legacy Fighting Alliance hosts a strawweight title fight for its vacant championship on Friday.

The main event of LFA 105 features Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta and Svetlana Gotsyk battling for gold, and the knowledge that winning a championship in the LFA is the fastest way to get signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The eight-fight card is now official after the weigh-ins took place. Three fighters missed weight, but both main eventers hit their marks.

Giunta (5-0) will look to keep her undefeated record intact. The Panama native most recently defeated Kayla Hracho in January 2020, but has not competed in nearly 15…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knLB3-lS9iU&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view with a trio of title fights. All three championship bouts are now official at UFC 261 after the official weigh-ins took place. Sitting atop the card is a welterweight title rematch between champ Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. All fighters on the card successfully made weight.

The UFC welterweight king is on a roll as Usman (18-1) has won 17 straight fights. Undefeated inside the Octagon, Usman has defended his title three times since winning it from Tyron Woodley in 2019. After a back-and-forth battle with Colby Covington, Usman picked up a dominant decision over Masvidal (35-14) and then knocked out Gilbert Burns. “The Nigerian Nightmare” stepped on the scales weighing 169.5 pounds.

After taking th…