UFC 251 results: Jorge Masvidal comes up short in brave bid to dethrone Kamaru Usman

Watching a fight, it can be difficult to differentiate between a grin and a grimace, especially when the gleam is softened by crimson smears.

Jorge Masvidal, who made his name scrapping in backyards in Miami before joining the UFC, probably deserves the benefit of the doubt.

For every fist that welterweight champion Kamaru Usman burrowed into his challenger’s ribcage, for every shoulder that he hammered into ‘Gamebred’s jaw, for every cynical stamp, Masvidal’s face lit up.

See, Masvidal is used to having his back against the wall, and while he might have spent more time with his back against the fence than was ideal in Saturday’s UFC 251 main event, the promotion’s ‘BMF’ seemed to enjoy every moment of it.

Much was made of the fact that Masvidal entered the bout on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – or ‘Fight Island’ as it is being referred to – on six days’ notice after the withdrawal of original contender Gilbert Burns with coronavirus. Then came the news that Masvidal would be without head coach Mike Brown, who also contracted Covid-19.

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The counters to this were the fact that Masvidal had known for months that Usman was on his horizon and so trained accordingly, and that the champion was similarly without his chief trainer this week. These extraneous factors therefore seemed as though they might balance out, but Masvidal’s smiles on Saturday were not purely masochistic – they were silent admissions that he was in slightly too deep.

For, while Masvidal might have been preparing for Usman, he wasn’t preparing for 11 July. As such, a 20lbs weight cut this week compromised the half-Cuban.

He pushed a frenetic pace in the opening frame, flinging fists and kicks in Usman’s direction as frequently as physically possible. It was enough to claim the round, but as ‘Gamebred’ made his way back to his stool, the signs and sweat were already streaming down his face.

The challenger resorted to counter-punching and sniping as Usman looked for an entry point to take Masvidal down, and soon enough the ‘BMF’s grappling skills were tested. As under-rated as they may be, Usman’s are beyond question, and eventually they dented Masvidal’s defiance.

The champion alternated between shoulder strikes, liver shots and stamps, then rinsed and repeated, draining Masvidal more and more to facilitate takedowns and pull clear on the judges’ scorecards.

To Masvidal’s credit, he always found a way back to his feat, even with his gas-tank guzzling away. ‘Street Jesus’ knows a thing or two about resurrection, after all, for that has been the story – and branding – of his career over the last 16 months.

And in keeping with that, he will no doubt be back soon, possibly even for a seismic contest against Conor McGregor or friend-turned-rival Colby Covington. Given the nature of his arrival at UFC 251 this week, Masvidal’s star has lost no shine in defeat, just as his grin has lost no gleam.

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To focus solely on ‘Gamebred’ would be to do a disservice to the man who left Yas Island with the belt still firmly around his waist, however.

Usman extended his winning streak to 16 with this victory, and he tied the consensus G.O.A.T. Georges St-Pierre for the most consecutive wins in UFC welterweight history (12) in the process.

As he once told his division rivals, he is a problem, and one without a clear solution at this moment in time.

UFC president Dana White suggested that Burns would be up next once he has fully recovered from his ordeal, and stylistically the Brazilian at least presents more of a threat to Usman than Masvidal could even at 100 percent.

But while Burns and other welterweights wait in the wings, one thing became astonishingly apparent this week: none of them can draw like ‘Gamebred’ can.

UFC 251 results:

Main card

Kamaru Usman (C) def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

Alexander Volkanovski (C) def. Max Holloway via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)

Petr Yan def. Jose Aldo via TKO (ground strikes – round 5, 3:24)

Rose Namajunas def. Jessica Andrade via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Amanda Ribas def. Paige VanZant via submission (armbar – round 1, 2:21)

Prelims

Jiri Prochazka def. Volkan Oezdemir via KO (punches – round 2, 0:49)

Muslim Salikhov def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Makwan Amirkhani def. Danny Henry via submission (anaconda choke – round 1, 3:15)

Leonardo Santos def. Roman Bogatov via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)