Going the Distance: Usman lives up to nickname at UFC 261

“Going the Distance” is a new recap piece from writer Ian Wind, who will look back at each UFC card’s main event at what’s next for the winner

With fans in attendance for the first time in over a year, welterweight champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (19-1, 14-0 UFC) defended his belt for a fourth consecutive time on Saturday, April 24, at UFC 261, capping an exciting event at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. 

In a rematch of a short-notice fight in July 2020 which saw the champ retain his belt via unanimous decision, Usman made a more definitive statement this time around by knocking Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal (35-15, 12-8 UFC) out cold less than halfway through round two, keeping alive his undefeated UFC win streak.

Usman, who comes from a wrestling background and has employed what many believe to be a “boring” fight style for much of his UFC tenure, started working with coach Trevor Wittman last summer. His striking improvements since then have been evident, utilizing a stiff jab to drop and eventually finish former teammate Gilbert “Durinho” Burns at UFC 258 in February, and a powerful right cross to shut Masvidal’s lights out on Saturday night. 

While Usman’s victory over Burns was certainly impressive, his performance over Masvidal puts him on another level. Masvidal is known as a striker, and his next best attribute may be his durability, having only been knocked out once in his previous 49 fights and not since 2008. Heading into the rematch, the last way that Usman was expected to win was by beating Masvidal at his own game. Simply put, he did exactly that. With improved striking to go along with excellent wrestling, cardio, fight IQ, and an iron-clad will to win, Usman is living up to his nickname — he is truly a nightmare for anyone in the welterweight division. The scariest part? He’s still getting better.

So, what comes next for the champion? The popular answer is Colby “Chaos” Covington (No. 1), the division’s top contender who previously fought Usman in a very competitive matchup at UFC 245 in December 2019. Usman broke Covington’s jaw during that bout, and eventually finished him in the fifth round. Despite the finish, this is the next expected matchup for The Nigerian Nightmare, and Dana White was clear in his post-fight press conference on Saturday night that he also views Covington as the next man up.

And what about Masvidal, who is one of the UFC’s biggest non-champion stars? A rematch for the BMF (“Bad Mother******”) belt with Nate “The Stockton Slugger” Diaz could be enticing. In the first fight, Gamebred dominated Diaz, but the bout ended in unexciting fashion when the doctor waved off the fight after examining a cut on Diaz’s eyebrow. With both fighters in later stages of their careers and no longer in title contention, this matchup would be a win-win for them and the UFC brass, as it’s likely to draw significant fan interest.

Of course, this logic assumes that Diaz won’t beat Leon “Rocky” Edwards (No. 3) at UFC 262 next month. (Edwards is a sizable favorite according to sportsbooks). For Edwards, a win over Diaz would likely mean a title shot, as he’d extend his UFC winning streak to nine, with his last loss coming to Usman himself more than five years ago.

Another scheduled fight between top welterweights is Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (No. 2) vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (No. 5) at UFC 264 in July. If Thompson wins that matchup, he could have an argument for title contention. If Burns wins, a bout with fellow countryman Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque (No. 6) could make sense, while Wonderboy could then take on Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (No. 7). Both Chiesa and Luque are currently on winning streaks, and Wonderboy and Burns would be stiff tests respectively.

With Demian Maia (No. 8) set to square off against Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad (No. 13) at UFC 263 in June, Neil “Haitian Sensation” Magny (No. 9) scheduled to fight Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal (No. 11) at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Dillashaw in May, and Tyron Woodley’s (No. 10) UFC future in question, that rounds out matchmaking for the top 10 welterweights.

Bonus Rounds

What more can we even say about “Thug” Rose Namajunas? At UFC 261, she became the first woman in the history of the UFC to reclaim a belt that she had previously won and then lost, catching Zhang “Magnum” Weili with a perfectly placed front head kick less than two minutes into the fight. While the strawweight division presents a number of good options for Thug Rose’s next challenge, a rematch with Weili is warranted, given the Chinese fighter’s dominance prior to this fight and the sudden nature by which she lost the belt. A loss to Weili would set up a trilogy title fight, and with another win over Weili, Namajunas can turn her attention toward the division’s other contenders. 

Thug Rose wasn’t the only woman to get a gold UFC belt wrapped around her waist at UFC 261. With yet another dominant title defense in the books after beating Jessica Andrade (No. 1) via TKO in round 2, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko continues to separate herself from the competition. Many thought Andrade would pose a significant challenge for the Bullet, but she was simply outclassed by the champion, getting taken down seven times in less than two rounds and dominated on the canvas. Once Shevchenko put Andrade into the crucifix position and began to rain down elbows that couldn’t be defended, referee Dan Miragliotta had no choice but to stop the fight.

Shevchenko’s win at UFC 261 marks her fifth consecutive title defense. Increasingly, it seems like there are no serious challengers for the Bullet in the women’s flyweight division. However, when asked about the prospects of a third fight with the bantamweight and featherweight double champion Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes, both White and Shevchenko indicated a trilogy bout was unlikely to occur at this time. Since Shevchenko’s next opponent is likely to come from the flyweight division, the winner of the upcoming fight between Lauren “Lucky” Murphy (No. 3) and Jojo Calderwood (No. 6) at UFC 263 seems like the logical choice, with neither having previously fought the Bullet. Unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine that either of these bouts would be competitive, after what we’ve seen from Shevchenko time and time again.

By Ian Wind