Kamaru Usman

Masvidal on UFC return timetable: “Hopefully December or November”

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Arguably the biggest star in the UFC right now has laid out the timeline for him to return to the octagon. Last night, the BMF Jorge Masvidal (35-14) took on cornhole pro, Cody Henderson, on ESPN.

Following the cornhole grudge match, Masvidal was asked about his UFC return by ESPN. Masvidal replied, “Hopefully, December or November… My opponent has a broken nose.. due to me…he’s going to be out for a couple days… I think next week we’re going to find out just how long he’s out for and then we’ll start determining who will be the next fight and where”

Who will the UFC have face the BMF?

Masvidal is clearly talking about welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, in that interview. Masvidal lost a decision to Usman back at UFC 251. Gamebred took the fight on one week’s notice.

Masvidal looked fantastic in the first round, but it became apparent that he didn’t have the gas tank to deal with Usman’s style. Usman was able to implement his game plan and win the fight.

The fight did massively well selling 1.3 million PPV buys. The UFC could no longer deny the fact that Masvidal had become a huge star. However, Dana White has said multiple times that Gilbert Burns will be next for the champion.

With that, who will Masvidal fight? Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley are scheduled to fight at some point in the next couple of months which takes them off the table.

The only opponent that would make sense from a rankings perspective is either Leon Edwards or Stephen Thompson. Masvidal has said that he’d love to get the Wonderboy fight back after losing a decision in their first fight.

Of course, Edwards and Masvidal do have history. They got into a backstage scuffle after the UFC‘s BMF knocked out Darren Till in London. I would think the UFC would lean towards Edwards for Masvidal’s next fight.

Either way, it looks like we have a general timeline for the return of Gamebred. What do you think? Who do you think Masvidal should fight upon his return to the octagon?

UFC: Gilbert Burns Healthy And Back In Line For The Belt

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UFC 251 wasn’t a good time for current welterweight contender Gilbert Burns. He was supposed to be one of the headline fighters in the event, and in fact, it was originally going to be titled “UFC 251: Usman vs Burns.” That all changed, however, when Burns was diagnosed with a positive case of coronavirus and was pulled from the event only days before it happened.

The title shot against Kamaru Usman he’d been waiting for vanished into nothing, and Burns was once again back in the contender list as the fight was changed to one between Usman and Jorge Masvidal. We all know how that went. Just as Burns predicted, Usman controlled the fight and came away with the victory.

Now, Burns is healthy again and is once again in the running to fight Usman.

“I’m very happy with the results from the test after being quarantined for two weeks at home,” Burns said to MMAFighting. “I’m thankful and very happy I can go back to my regular routine.”

Elsewhere, Burns spoke about already talking to Dana White. According to him, White is on board with the plan for him to fight Usman, which was the fight that was originally scheduled before Burns’ diagnosis threw the plans off.

Despite the minor bump in the road, Burns does have the record to earn this title shot, with his last fight being a victory against former champion Tyron Woodley. He also entered the Woodley fight on a five fight winning streak that includes a victory over Demian Maia, who is recognized as one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world.

But can Burns handle a champion that was able to push Jorge Masvidal aside with ease? The answer to that question is still up in the air, and hopefully, there won’t be a surprising interruption this time to keep us from finding out.

UFC: Kamaru Usman Has Strong Words For Georges St-Pierre

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The situation at the top of the UFC’s welterweight division might have just gotten more interesting. Kamaru Usman recently defended his belt against Jorge Masvidal, and the champion hasn’t waited long before deciding which opponent he wants to face next. Usman picked a fighter with name value to challenge – except, it isn’t any of the current usual contenders at 170 lbs.

The fighter that Usman called out is Georges St-Pierre, the legendary former champion who was last seen almost three years ago winning the middleweight belt against Michael Bisping. The return had many fans excited to see what would happen next, after GSP exceeded expectations, but the fanbase would be left hanging as St-Pierre announced his retirement in 2019.

Usman doesn’t think that St-Pierre should remain retired.

What words did Usman have for GSP?

Calling out St-Pierre while speaking to TMZ, Usman challenged the former welterweight champion to another fight for the title.

“George can still do it. He proved it 2 years ago when he came back that he can still do it. I feel that he’s still able to do it, I feel like he’s still able to come in and be that opponent where people are unsure like, ‘You know what, we don’t know if Usman’s got this one.’ And I think Georges St-Pierre can be that guy,” Usman stated.

“I would love to test myself. I’m a martial artist just like he was a martial artist and if he still has some fire burning in that oven, let’s test it out!” Usman added.

But it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen GSP in the octagon, and there’s been no actual indication that GSP intends to come back. Some might consider it weak that Usman is targeting a fighter who has been out of action for a couple years and is currently 39 years old.

GSP’s legacy at welterweight already looks over, too. He hasn’t fought in the division since 2013 and when he once again won the belt, it was at middleweight and not welterweight.

With that being said, if the fight did ever happen, it could definitely have interesting outcomes – it would perhaps be one of the more interesting veteran against rising star bouts, as at the end of the day, GSP still has one of the best track records in UFC history despite age.

UFC struggling to book Covington – Woodley

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UFC, Colby Covington

One of the bigger potential grudge matches in the UFC would be Colby Covington (15-2) and Tyron Woodley (19-5-1). Per ESPN‘s Ariel Hewlani, the UFC was trying to book the fight for August which was confirmed by a Covington Instagram post.

Will the UFC make it happen?

As you can see from the post above, Covington and Woodley were offered to headline a UFC fight night on August 22nd.

Covington stated that Woodley was the one who would not agree to that date which was later confirmed by Woodley himself. T-Wood clarified his stance with Ariel Helwani.

“”My answer to whether I would fight Colby is eternally yes. . . At 96 years old in a nursing home it’s yes! He said no six times and now creates a date that works for him? F— out of here,” Woodley said in a text to Helwani.

Both men have a lot of heat between the two of them and both men are former UFC champions. Woodley is coming off back to back losses while Covington is coming off of the loss to Kamaru Usman.

I’m a little surprised that the UFC is going with Covington/Woodley as opposed to having Jorge Masvidal fight Covington. That fight to me makes more sense than this one.

Woodley has looked like a shell of himself in his last two fights, and I don’t see him fairing well against Covington. I think Covington’s pace and pressure would be way too much for Woodley to handle at this stage.

Looks like the UFC will try again to book this fight in September or October. It will definitely be a main event whenever it does/if it does get booked.

UFC: Jorge Masvidal wants rematch with Usman more than anything

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Arguably the UFC‘s biggest star has only one fight in mind whenever he makes his return to the octagon. Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to give his thoughts.

Would the UFC run it back?

There is no question that Masvidal is the sport’s biggest star right now. Because of him, UFC 251 generated a whopping 1.3 million PPV buys.

Masvidal did come up short against UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (17-1), after taking the fight on six days notice. Masvidal looked really good early, but Usman’s pressure and wrestling gave him the victory.

Masvidal told Helwani that he believes he has the recipe to beat Usman. Many, including myself, thought the UFC would try to book Masvidal with Conor McGregor if Gamebred won the fight on Saturday.

A fight between those two would probably be the biggest fight of all time from a PPV perspective. Masvidal’s stock didn’t go down at all from the loss, in fact, it might have gone up.

As you can see in the video above, Masvidal was asked about a shot at McGregor. Gamebred has no interest in anyone but Kamaru Usman at this point.

You can hardly blame the man for wanting another shot at the title. Now, I think the UFC is going to stick to their guns by giving Gilbert Burns the next shot at the title. I personally think the UFC should book Masvidal with Colby Covington (15-2).

The fight makes perfect sense for both men. Both have a ton of heat between the two of them, and both are coming off of losses against the champion. A win for either puts them first in line for another shot.

The UFC could also look at booking Masvidal with Leon Edwards (18-3). That fight could sell well as they have history that involves a three piece and a soda. You can catch Masvidal’s full interview with Helwani below.

UFC 251 hits 1.3 million PPV Buys

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If anyone wants to doubt the drawing power of the Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, you need to sit down. UFC 251 did extremely well on PPV and the numbers were released today that told us just how well it did.

One of the best in UFC history

Dana White said that the card was trending higher than a Conor McGregor fight. He wasn’t lying as there have only been three events in the company’s history to have drawn more PPV buys.

  1. Khabib vs McGregor – 2.4 Million PPV
  2. Diaz vs McGregor 2 – 1.6 Million PPV
  3. McGregor vs Diaz – 1.317 Million PPV

Kamaru Usman – Jorge Masvidal did the same amount of PPV buys as UFC 205 which was headlined by Conor McGregor. That night the UFC put three title fights on for their first show ever in New York.

Jorge Masvidal is a needle mover at the highest level. Yes, he’s not quite on the Conor McGregor level, but he’s right there. In fact, UFC 251 did better on PPV than UFC 246 did which featured the return of the notorious one.

You had to think that the UFC was hoping that Masvidal would have pulled out the victory on Saturday. A McGregor-Masvidal fight would have been the biggest fight in UFC history. There is always the possibility of that in the future, but for now, the fight is a dream.

Dana White and company hit it out of the park on Saturday and they owe a lot to Jorge Masvidal. No disrespect to Gilbert Burns, but UFC 251 does not do nearly as good without Gamebred on the card.

UFC: Gilbert Burns & Leon Edwards argue over who’s more deserving of the next title shot

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This past weekend at UFC 251, Kamaru Usman (17-1) successfully defended his welterweight title. After the event, UFC president Dana White said that Gilbert Burns (19-3) would be next for the title.

However, Leon Edwards (18-3) took exception to this. Edwards, who is on an eight fight winning streak responded to Burns on Twitter of the weekend stating why he deserves to be next. What resulted was a fiery back and forth between the two.

Who deserves the next UFC title shot?

If you’re looking at the two men on paper, Burns definitely deserves the title shot. Yes, Burns stepped in for Edwards to fight Woodley. Yes, the UFC offered Edwards the shot before Burns, but that doesn’t matter at the end of the day.

Burns has the better resume, and Burns presents an interesting angle. Being a former teammate and the most difficult stylistic matchup for Usman is very appealing.

I can understand where Edwards is coming from. The UFC offered him several big opportunities that he had to turn down due to the inability to train with the pandemic going on.

Edwards could be in a bit of a tough spot. The UFC has made it clear that they are going with Burns with the next title shot. I don’t think Edwards is going to get either Colby Covington (15-2) or Jorge Masvidal (35-14) in his next fight.

I think the UFC will likely pair those two up for a fight. Tyron Woodley (19-5-1) has lost a couple of lopsided fights in a row which doesn’t make him appealing. Maybe Stephen Thompson (15-4-1) would be the best fight for Edwards?

You have to feel for the spot that Edward’s is in. You can’t blame him for wanting the shot since he was actually offered the fight before Burns. Who do you think deserves to be next for the UFC‘s welterweight title?

UFC: Fights to make after UFC 251

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Following any major UFC event, the fans want to know what comes next? UFC held their first event on Fight Island last night, and everyone wants to know what fights are going to be made following UFC 251. Here are five fights that the UFC should make.

Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns

This is a fight that we basically got confirmed from UFC president Dana White last night. In the post-fight press conference, White made it clear that Gilbert Burns (19-3) would be the next challenger for Kamaru Usman (17-1).

Burns was originally scheduled to be in the main event last night, but a positive COVID-19 test took him out. Once he recovers, he is the first guy in line for Usman. He’s also the one fighter who is the worst matchup for Usman in the division.

Usman did not win any new fans at UFC 251, but the champion did what he had to do in defeating Jorge Masvidal (35-14). Usman leaned on his wrestling and controlled the BMF title holder for five rounds.

Burns and Usman matchup extremely well. Usman’s wrestling can be neutralized by Burns’ elite skills on the ground. Burns has elite striking and speed which can give Usman issues.

Usman and Burns were once teammates which adds in another wrinkle to the fight. Expect this matchup to be booked in October/November.

Jorge Masvidal vs Colby Covington

Gamebred stepped up on six days notice, but he fell short in his quest to become the UFC’s welterweight champion. He made it clear that he wants to stay active and work his way back to the title. The quickest route to that is against his former training partner.

Colby Covington (15-2) would make the perfect opponent. Both men used to live together, but now they can’t stand each other. Both are coming off a loss to Usman which is a perfect setup for the fight.

This fight would have a ton of heat, and the winner would be guaranteed another shot at the UFC‘s welterweight title. With the drawing power of both men, this could headline a card on it’s own. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this one occur around the same time that we see Usman-Burns.

Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas

It was known that the winner of the Rose Namajunas (9-4) and Jessica Andrade (20-8) fight would likely get the next shot at UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang (21-1). Both women went to war last night, but Namajunas walked away with a decision.

To me, Namajunas has always been the second best strawweight in the world. I thought she was always better than Andrade, but got caught in that slam. I also firmly believe that Zhang is the absolute best in the world.

Thug Rose is going to get the title shot after last night’s victory, but I’m not sure how I feel about the matchup for her. This fight could be a springboard for Zhang.

If Zhang is able to defeat Namajunas, she could aim for a champion versus champion fight with Valentina Shevchenko next.

Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling

The UFC crowned a new bantamweight king last night, and his name is Petr Yan (15-1). It didn’t come easy, but Yan was able to stop Jose Aldo (28-7) in the fifth round to claim the UFC‘s bantamweight champion.

Last month, Aljamain Sterling (19-3) made an emphatic statement that he’s the top contender at 135 pounds. In a fight with Cory Sandhagen (12-2) which was considered a title eliminator, Sterling finished Sandhagen in under 90 seconds.

Many people believe that Sterling was more deserving of a title shot than Yan was. Well, now the UFC can move to make this fight. There might not be a more exciting division in the UFC than bantamweight right now. Yan/Sterling is going to be incredibly fun to watch.

Alexander Volkanovski vs Winner of Zabit Magomedsharipov-Yair Rodriguez

The UFC‘s featherweight king didn’t get the clean victory he wanted last night. Many people, including Dana White, believe that he lost the fight. However, the judges are all that matter and they gave the fight to Alexander Volkanovski (22-1).

I can’t see the UFC moving to book Volkanovski-Holloway 3 with Alexander being up 2-0 in the series. The Australian champ wants to fight by the end of the year, so what makes the most sense?

Reportedly, Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1) and Yair Rodriguez (13-2-1) are supposed to fight in August. Magomedsharipov is currently ranked right behind Holloway while Rodriguez is ranked fifth.

Both of these men are extremely popular and talented fighters. I think the UFC would be smart to make this fight the title eliminator. Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung who are also supposed to fight this year, have already had shots at the title.

Magomedsharipov is considered the next great Russian champion that’s in the UFC. If Zabit can defeat Rodriguez in August, it would be a massive global fight to pair him with the champion, Volkanovski.

UFC has great fights ahead

The UFC is going to put on some stacked cards the rest of this year. All of the fights listed above should take place before we hit 2021. Combine those with the fights that are already scheduled, and you should be expecting some stacked cards in the second half of 2020.

UFC 251 Recap: Kamaru Usman smothers Gamebred to retain his title

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UFC 251 marked the first event on the infamous Fight Island. The first our four cards in just two weeks on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main event of the evening featured the much anticipated UFC welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Jorge Masvidal (35-13). The UFC‘s debut on Fight Island did not disappoint.

Kamaru Usman suffocates the BMF

The main event of the evening featured the most anticipated matchup of the year. The UFC champ, Usman, taking on the BMF himself, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal. A little over a week ago, Usman thought he’d be making the walk to fight his former teammate Gilbert Burns. However, a positive COVID-19 test led to the fight the fans have been waiting for all year long.

As the fight started, Masvidal landed some massive leg kicks. However, Usman immediately caught one and took Masvidal down. Usman was able to land some good elbows from the top position. Two minutes in Masvidal was able to get back to his feet. On the feet, Masvidal had the clear advantage landing some big shots.

Usman shot in and immediately pushed Masvidal up against the fence. Masvidal was able to break with about a minute left. Masvidal was clearly superior on the feet dominating the striking exchanges. Despite a takedown the challenger takes round one.

Early on in the second, Usman seemed desperate to take the fight to the ground. Masvidal defended well, but used a ton of energy to stay on his feet. Usman seemed content with just leaning on Masvidal against the cage early in the second. Masvidal had two cuts that developed from accidental headbutts.

Usman landed a good right during a break, but immediately shot back in for the clinch. The second round lacked in action, but Usman controlled position the entire time. Late in the second, Masvidal was able to get away and land some big shots. However, Usman’s control gives him the second.

In the third round, Usman seemed more content to strike early. However, after Masvidal landed some clean shots, Usman immediately engaged in another clinch. About a minute in, Masvidal broke and again landed some big shots. Usman immediately shot back in for another clinch.

A low shot caused a break in the action about halfway through the round. After Masvidal took some time to recover, action resumed. The two men started striking for a second, but Usman timed a double leg and got Masvidal to the ground. Masvidal got up but was taken right back down. Another slow round for the champion.

As the fourth round began, Usman was able to land a good body kick. He transitioned that into a takedown. Masvidal got back to his feet, but Usman held the clinch position. Halfway through the round, Masvidal broke free landing some really clean shots. However, Usman landed a couple good shots of his own and re-engaged the clinch. Nothing else happened in the fourth which translated to another slow round for Usman.

The final round began and Usman seemed content to strike with Masvidal. However, after Masvidal landed a clean counter shot, Usman shot in for another takedown. After no action, Masvidal tried to get back to his feet with two minutes left, but Usman gained side control.

Masvidal tried a scramble to get back up with a minute left. He was able to get to his feet, but Usman held him against the fence. Masvidal was able to separate and land some big shots late, but nothing that put Usman in danger. Masvidal brought the fight to Usman, but the champion wins this one 4-1 on my scorecard. The judges agreed giving Usman the unanimous decision as he retained his UFC welterweight title.

Volkanovski edges Holloway by Split Decision

The co-main event of the evening featured a featherweight title fight between UFC featherweight champ, Alexander Volkanovski (21-1), and former champion, Max Holloway (21-5). Holloway was considered to be the greatest featherweight of all time before Volkanovski defeated him in January. Many were considering this fight to be the fight that determined who is the real featherweight GOAT.

Early on in the first round, Holloway put pressure on Volkanovski. Both men took the first couple of minutes just feeling each other out, neither throwing anything serious. Halfway through, both men seemed to open up. Holloway did a really good job of landing some decent shots on Volkanovski coming in.

Holloway seemed to land a clean 1-2 that possibly wobbled Volkanovski late in the round. Max was looking a lot better in the first round than he did in the first fight. Volkanovski stayed patient and landed some good leg kicks. Holloway dropped Volkanovski late in round one. Great first round for the former champion.

Volkanovski seemed to be wearing it a little on his face to start the second round. Holloway landed a massive combination about a minute in that stunned Volkanovski again. Volkanovski threw some leg kicks, but in this fight, Holloway would follow with his own. Holloway just looked incredibly loose in this one. Right before the end of the second, Holloway drops Volkanovski for the second time. Clearly 2-0 for Holloway after two.

Volkanovski came right out in the third with heavy leg kicks, but again, Holloway countered with his own. Holloway landed a big knee about a minute in. Volkanovski just seemed to be out of reach in this one. About halfway through the third, Volkanovski did start to find his range landing some good shots.

Volkanovski shot in for a takedown, but wasn’t able to secure it. Volkanovski held onto a clinch, but Holloway was able to break free landing a couple of solid shots off the break. Holloway was getting caught a little more in the third. Volkanovski was finding a solid left hook throughout the round. Good bounce back round for the champion who takes the third in my opinion.

Both men were wearing a little damage to begin the fourth. Volkanovski seemed to be throwing much cleaner shots in the fourth. The champions confidence was definitely growing. About halfway through the round, Holloway landed a pretty good combination that backed up the champion.

With about two minutes left, Volkanovski landed a takedown, but he couldn’t keep Holloway down. Once the fight was back on the feet, Holloway seemed to get the better of the striking exchanges. However, with the takedown and more shots landed, I’ll give Volkanovski the round. I have it 2-2 going into the fifth.

Entering the fifth, this one is anyone’s fight. Holloway seemed extremely aggressive to start the fifth round. Volkanovski did a good job at countering with some big shots. These two men were so evenly matched. Volkanovski shot in for another takedown a minute into the round.

The two men landed good shots, but Volkanovski’s shots seemed to have a bit more pop on them. Both men nodded at each other and traded big combinations halfway through the round. Volkanovski secured a takedown with about two minutes left. Holloway was able to get right back up.

With a minute left both men got really aggressive. Volkanovski kept trying for takedowns, but couldn’t land them. The two men exchanged again, but Volkanovski was able to secure one more takedown at the end of the round. Razor close fight that I give to the champion 48-47. Two of the three judges ended up agreeing giving the fight to Volkanovski by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47). Volkanovski retains his UFC featherweight title in a decision that will definitely be debated.

Yan becomes champ with a fifth round TKO

The third fight of the main card saw our first UFC title fight as Petr Yan (15-1) took on former featherweight champion, Jose Aldo (28-7). Yan is considered by many to be the best bantamweight in the world. Aldo was promised a shot against Henry Cujudo, but had to miss the fight in May due to travel restrictions and that is how we go to Yan/Aldo.

Both men immediately took the center to start the fight. Neither man was using a ton of footwork early. About a minute in, Aldo threw a leg kick which reminded me of his older fights, but it was countered with a massive right from Yan. Yan was taken off his feet with another powerful leg kick, but he got right back up and landed some clean shots.

Aldo was looking really good in the first round. Yan landed some decent shots, but Aldo’s leg kicks and combinations were a major factor early. With about a minute left, Yan landed a massive body kick that caused Aldo to shoot for a takedown. Yan landed some massive shots and almost finished the fight. Yan gets the first round.

Aldo came out for round two with his hands very high after the way round one ended. Yan looked extremely patient to start the round just looking for his openings. Aldo continued to land strong kicks in the second. Aldo’s combinations and kicks were really effective in the second round. Yan landed a couple of shots, but seemed to be waiting a little too much. Aldo’s consistent output and kicks gave him the second.

Aldo came right out for the third and landed some massive body kicks. Yan looked extremely tentative to start the third. Aldo continued to chop Yan down with kicks to the body and the legs. Aldo hurt Yan bad with some body hooks about halfway through the round.

Yan tried to come back strong, but Aldo continued to land the cleaner shots. With about 90 seconds left in the round, Yan seemed to come alive landing some really clean shots. Confidence really began to grow for Yan late in the third as he hurt Aldo. Extremely close round three. I lean Yan with the way the round ended.

Yan immediately came forward aggressively to start the fourth round. About a minute in both men traded massive hooks. These two seemed content with fighting in a phone booth in the fourth round. Yan and Aldo both landed some clean shots, but Yan seemed to landing just a little more. Aldo seemed to be tiring a little in the fourth round.

Yan bloodied Aldo’s nose and put a ton of pressure on Aldo late in the fourth. Yan rocked Aldo late in the fourth which led to a solid leg sweep. Once on top, Yan relaxed into Aldo’s guard. Yan stacked up Aldo and landed some big ground shots late. Definitely Yan’s round in the fourth.

Both men hugged before the start of the fifth round. Yan dropped Aldo very early in the fifth round with a couple of big shots. Aldo found himself in a crucifix position and took some massive shots from Yan. Yan was able to get Aldo’s back which allowed him to unleash massive shots. After taking unanswered shots for about two minutes, the ref finally stops the action. Petr Yan is now the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.

Thug Rose wins a war against Andrade

The second fight on the main card featured a rematch between former UFC strawweight champions Rose Namajunas (9-4) and Jessica Andrade (20-8). The two fought for the title back in May of last year. Namajunas controlled the fight until and Andrade slam put her out.

Early on in the first, Rose did a really good job of using her footwork. Rose did a fantastic job using straight shots to catch Andrade. Every time that Andrade would come in early, she was met with crisp shots from Thug Rose. Andrade kept trying to rush in with power hooks, but she was getting touched every time. Andrade landed a couple of good shots, but round one goes to Thug Rose with her crisp boxing.

Round two started out very similar to round one with Namajunas striking from distance. Andrade was using a ton of head movement, but it didn’t stop Rose from touching her. Jessica did start finding some success with some strong leg kicks in round two. However, Rose was clearly getting the better of the striking exchanges.

Halfway through the round, Andrade landed a massive right hand which caught Rose’s attention. Namajunas kept her composure and went right back to touching Andrade up. Despite a few good shots from Andrade including a strong closing fury, I give the second round to Namajunas

Andrade took the center aggressively to start round three. Jessica was doing a good job at ripping hooks to the body. Namajunas resumed the center of the cage landing straight shots like she did in the previous two rounds. Andrade bloodied Rose’s nose with a solid shot that seemed to hurt Namajunas.

Rose got rocked with a right hand from Andrade. Jessica landed a strong hip toss putting Namajunas on her back. Namajunas was busted up from the shots from Andrade. Rose worked her way back up to her feet with about two minutes left. The rest of the round featured both ladies trading some serious shots.

I gave the third round to Andrade, which on my scorecard would give Namajunas the fight 29-28. In the end, the judges came to a split decision giving the fight to Thug Rose (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Absolutely fantastic fight and Namajunas now will be next in line to fight the champ, Weili Zhang.

Amanda Ribas subs Paige VanZant in the first

Kicking off the main card was a women’s flyweight contest between Amanda Ribas (10-1) and Paige VanZant (8-5). Ribas normally fights at strawweight but moved up to take on VanZant. VanZant entered the octagon on the last fight of her current UFC deal which has led many to believe it’s the last time we will see her in the octagon.

Early on in the first, Ribas did a really good job of cutting off the cage. Ribas engaged in a clinch early, and landed some massive knees to the body. Following the knees, Ribas landed a massive hip toss to take the fight to the ground.

VanZant tried to escape, but Ribas caught her in an arm bar. VanZant taps and Ribas takes the first round submission. A good win for Ribas when it comes to name recognition. For VanZant, this might be the last time we see her in the UFC.

Final Takeaways from UFC 251

UFC 251 delivered when you think about the card as a whole. The main event was lackluster simply because Usman did what he had to do. Jorge Masvidal was far superior on the feet so Usman had to lean (pun intended) on his grappling. A night of three UFC title fights delivered for fight fans everywhere. The UFC has three more fights on Fight Island before they return to the US in August. It’s gonna be a fun two weeks for fight fans.

Kamaru Usman targeting Georges St. Pierre if he wins at UFC 251

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Tonight, the UFC will be taking center stage at Fight Island. In the main event you have the Nigerian Nightmare and UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), taking on the BMF Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal (35-13).

Yesterday, both men took the podium after weigh-ins to answer some questions. Kamaru Usman was asked during the scrum about what’s next if he defeats Masvidal. While Usman insisted that he’s not looking past Masvidal, there’s one name that really peaks his interest.

“I would love Georges St. Pierre. It took him 1875 days to win 12 consecutive fights and after I beat Masvidal on Saturday, it would have taken me exactly 1875 days to win 12 consecutive fights. What better way to break the record than to fight the man,” Usman said of St. Pierre

Calling out the UFC’s welterweight GOAT

I don’t think there’s any argument against Georges St. Pierre (26-2) being the greatest welterweight in UFC history. The former two-time champion successfully defended the UFC title nine times. Following the ninth defense, St. Pierre walked away from the sport.

Four years after that, GSP returned and captured the middleweight title at UFC 217. Following that fight, St. Pierre said that he was retiring from the sport. However, in recent years, St. Pierre has teased that he would come back to the sport. Granted the only fight that was interesting to him was dropping to 155 pounds and facing Khabib Nurmagomedov.

That fight would be much more appealing than Usman for St. Pierre. GSP could win a belt in a third weight class against Nurmagomedov. There’s really not a ton to gain in him coming back to fight the Nigerian Nightmare. While I can definitely understand Usman’s desire to fight the GOAT, I don’t see that being a realistic possibility.