The Scout: Usman vs Masvidal 2

Posted on April 21, 2021April 21, 2021 | Posted by The Scout

The UFC 261 main event sees Kamaru Usman (18-1) putting his welterweight belt (and 18 fight win streak) on the line against the number four contender Jorge Masvidal (35-14).

It’s the second time this pair have faced off, with Usman scoring a unanimous decision victory in July last year. The circumstances leading into that fight are well-documented, with Masvidal accepting the fight on just six days notice.

Since then, Usman has been seen just once, finishing Gilbert Burns in the third round of their title fight in February. Outside of an early scare in round 1 on that night, Usman was utterly dominant against his former teammate and then number one contender in the division.

Masvidal on the other hand hasn’t stepped into the UFC octagon since July. It’s his (and many others) belief that he took the moral victory in fight one given the weight cut he undertook and the extremely short turnaround. His stocks leading up until then had never been higher, coming off consecutive KO/TKO wins against Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.

Usman played it relatively safe in the first meeting, weathering an early onslaught from Masvidal before taking control in round 2. He was relentless with his takedowns (and foot stomps) and spent a lot of time completely neutralizing Masvidal in the clinch.

Against Burns it was a different Usman, with his jab proving to be lethal, and ultimately the difference. He proved that his striking game was up there with anyone in the division. His wrestling game of course is second to none. Given this, I expect we’ll see these two stand and deliver for longer periods this time around.

Usman had his choice of opponents for this fight and chose Masvidal because he wasn’t happy with how their first fight went down. He feels he has unfinished business with Gamebred and won’t be satisfied with just another decision victory.

Given what he did to Burns, and the improvements he seems to make fight-to-fight, I think Usman gets that finish here.

Suggested Bet: Kamaru Usman by KO/TKO @ $3.70*

*Odds correct as at 2pm, 21st April 2021.

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