UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal Full Fight Results

Two AND STILLs, one AND NEW and two bad leg injuries composed the pay-per-view main card of UFC 261 in a thrilling night of action on Saturday, April 24, from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.

Kamaru Usman knocked out Jorge Masvidal for the first time since 2009 to retain his welterweight belt. Rose Namajunas stunned Zhang Weili with a left head kick to retake the women’s strawweight title. Valentina Schevchenko was her typical dominant self in a elbows from crucifix finish over Jessica Andrade to keep her flyweight crown.

Chris Weidman’s leg snapped in half just 17 seconds into his fight with Uriah Hall, who became the first fighter to win a bout without throwing a strike. And Anthony Smith topped Jim Crute by doctor stoppage due to first-round mauling of the calf.

The card started with a pair of wild bouts as Ariane Carnelossi and Jeff Molina got wins in their debuts and didn’t slow from there. Matt and Craig each went 9-4 as Matt Allen moved within one of 100 correct picks in 2021 (99-60). Follow next week as the website and channel continue to grow here in 2021 with UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Prochazka back at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Results

Women’s Strawweight

Ariane Carnelossi (-226) def. Na Liang by TKO (R2, 1:28)

Props: by knockout (+175); under 1.5 (+110)

Matt’s pick: Carnelossi; Craig’s pick: Carnelossi

Welcome back, fans! Ariane Carnelossi and Na Liang gave the 15,000 in attendance at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville plenty to cheer about in a wild first round full of scrambles and hard hits. The two scrambled for the full five minutes, with both fighters looking close to submissions at times. By the end of the opening five, though, it was clear Liang was exhausted. When Carnelossi got top position in the second, the referee stepped in quickly to halt the fight and give Carnelossi her first UFC victory.

Flyweight

Jeff Molina (-119) def. Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

Props: by decision (+185); over 2.5 (-236)

Matt’s pick: Molina; Craig’s pick: Aoriqileng

Just go ahead and sneak this fight into the fight of the year conversation. After some early success from the always moving forward Aoriqileng, Jeff Molina found his footing in the second round and started to counter Aoriqileng’s attacks, dropping him late in the round with a straight right. Then in the third, it was all ‘El Jefe’ as he put it on Aoriqileng, who refused to move his head off the center line and continued to march forward. It was an impressive show for a pair of UFC debutants.

Lightweight

Kazula Vargas (+187) def. Rongzhu by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)

Props: by decision (+448); over 2.5 (+120)

Matt’s pick: Rongzhu; Craig’s pick: Rongzhu

Well, so much for the UFC China Performance Institute. Rongzhu became the third Chinese fighter to lose in the first three fights of UFC 261. Vargas was the more effective striker throughout and cranked on a guillotine submission for two minutes of the second round. Rongzhu, who tried to show up Vargas on multiple occasions, had success in the third round but it was much too little, much too late for the 21-year-old debutant. Vargas is a first-time UFC winner, moving to 1-2 in his young career in the Octagon.

Bantamweight

Danaa Batgerel (-231) def. Kevin Natividad by knockout (R1, 0:50)

Props: by knockout (+227); under 1.5 (+217)

Matt’s pick: Natividad; Craig’s pick: Batgerel

China wasn’t having any success, so Mongolia decided to show its southern neighbor how it’s done. With a tight counter left hook, Danaa Batgerel put Kevin Natividad on the mat and followed up with enough punches for Herb Dean to pull him off the underdog. It was Batgerel’s second consecutive win and Natividad’s second straight defeat.

Featherweight

Pat Sabatini (-243) def. Tristan Connelly by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Props: by decision (+121); over 2.5 (-209)

Matt’s pick: Sabatini; Craig’s pick: Sabatini

In his UFC debut, Pat Sabatini put on a grappling exhibition. In the first two rounds, he scored easy takedowns and while Tristan Connelly was sound defensively, Sabatini controlled him for more than four minutes in each round. Connelly had some success in the third round but couldn’t find enough success to stop the fight.

Middleweight

Brendan Allen (-152) def. Karl Roberson by submission (R1, 4:55)

Props: by submission (+172); under 1.5 (+114)

Matt’s pick: Allen; Craig’s pick: Allen

Don’t mess around on the canvas with Brendan Allen. Every fighter knows that entering the Octagon against ‘All In’ Allen. But for the fourth time his career, Roberson walked into a submission as Allen locked in an ankle lock in the final seconds of the first round to earn his fourth UFC victory. Roberson falls to 4-4 in the promotion.

Welterweight

Dwight Grant (-190) def. Stefan Sekulic by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Props: by decision (+321); over 2.5 (+109)

Matt’s pick: Grant; Craig’s pick: Grant

Stefan Sekulic looked like a new man in his return to the Octagon after a two-year USADA suspension. He had some success on the feet, but truly excelled in the wrestling. But Dwight Grant found a touch more success on the feet in the judges’ eyes in rounds 1 and 2, as he survived a guillotine in the dying moments to ensure it went to the judges’ scorecards. It’s Grant’s third win in the Octagon. Sekulic falls to 0-2 in the promotion. For what it’s worth, 11 of 17 panelists at mmadecisions.com had it for Sekulic.

Welterweight

Randy Brown (-134) def. Alex Oliveira by submission (R1, 2:50)

Props: by submission (+534); under 1.5 (+181)

Matt’s pick: Brown; Craig’s pick: Brown

We may just have a new contender in the welterweight division. ‘Rudeboy’ landed a straight right to Alex Oliveira and followed it up with some impressive groundwork before locking in a one-arm rear naked choke in the first round. It was Brown’s seventh UFC victory as he gets back on the winning track after a second-round loss to Vicente Luque. ‘Cowboy’ is on a two-fight skid and falls to 11-8 in the promotion.

Light Heavyweight

Anthony Smith (+200) def. Jim Crute by doctor stoppage (R1, 5:00)

Props: by TKO (+624); under 1.5 (+151)

Matt’s pick: Crute; Craig’s pick: Crute

An anticlimactic opening to the UFC 261 pay-per-view ended when the doctor called off the fight in between the first and second rounds after Anthony Smith peppered Jim Crute’s lead calf. Crute struggled to walk on the leg and was furious that he wasn’t allowed to continue despite wanting to go for another round. For Smith, it’s a second consecutive win while Crute drops to 4-2 in the UFC.

Middleweight

Uriah Hall (+131) def Chris Weidman by TKO (R1, 0:17)

Props: by TKO (+185); under 1.5 (+154)

Matt’s pick: Hall; Craig’s pick: Hall

Checking leg kicks. It can win you a fight. In the first few seconds, Chris Weidman launched a calf kick, Uriah Hall bent his knee outward and Weidman’s leg snapped in half. It’s the fourth straight win for Hall and a long recovery period for Weidman ahead. Hall, visibly upset with the way he scored the victory after weeks of preparing for the opponent has now earned two straight finishes. “We was the first one to introduce me to fear,” Hall said in his postfight interview with Joe Rogan. “I have nothing but respect for Chris Weidman.”

Women’s Flyweight Championship

Valentina Schevchenko (-503) def. Jessica Andrade by knockout (R2, 3:19)

Props: by knockout (+189); under 2.5 (+122)

Matt’s pick: Schevchenko; Craig’s pick: Schevchenko

AND STILL, part 1. Valentina Schevchenko was completely dominant from start to finish over Jessica Andrade. She thwarted Andrade’s throw attempts, got on top and landed ground and pound. In the second round she worked her way to crucifix and pounded Andrade until Dan Miragliotta put an end to it. Schevchenko’s only losses in the promotion remain to Amanda Nunes. Andrade falls to 12-7 in the UFC.

Women’s Strawweight Championship

Rose Namajunas (+171) def. Zhang Weili by knockout (R1, 1:18)

Props: by knockout (+558); under 1.5 (+283)

Matt’s pick: Zhang; Craig’s pick: Zhang

AND NEW! In the first round, Rose Namajunas landed a powerful left head kick to Zhang Weili that crumpled the Chinese fighter. ‘No nonsense’ Keith Peterson quickly intervened to prevent more damage to the champion. Namajunas broke down in tears as she recaptured the strawweight belt. It was Weili’s first loss in the UFC and snapped her 21-fight win streak.

Welterweight Championship

Kamaru Usman (-332) def. Jorge Masvidal by knockout (R2, 1:02)

Props: by knockout (+291); under 1.5 (+388)

Matt’s pick: Usman; Craig’s pick: Usman

AND STILL, part 2! Striker Kamaru Usman finished Jorge Masvidal for the first time since 2009 with a killer of a right straight that spiraled Masvidal to the canvas in the second round. It was his 14th straight win in the UFC and the “Nigerian Nightmare” remains undefeated in the promotion as he retains his welterweight belt. Masvidal drops to 12-8 in the UFC with two back-to-back losses to Usman.

Scorecard

Total Fights: 13

Ended by decision: 4

Ended by submission: 2

Ended by knockout: 8

Matt’s picks: 9-4 (2021: 99-60-3); Craig’s picks: 9-4 (2021: 90-69-3)

Underdogs: 4-9

Biggest underdog winner: Anthony Smith (+200)

Biggest prop hit: Smith by TKO (+624)

Performance bonuses ($50,000 each): Aoriqileng, Jeff Molina, Rose Namajunas, Kamaru Usman