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Kamaru Usman will once again defend his UFC welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261, which will take place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday. It will be the first UFC event since March 2020 that a capacity crowd will be available in the United States.
Usman vs. Masvidal 2 is one of three title fights on a card that sold out within hours. More than 15,000 spectators are expected to be in the arena.
The first time Usman and Masvidal met, in July 2020, “Gamebred” had stepped in on less than a week’s notice to challenge for the title after Usman’s original opponent, Gilbert Burns, was pulled from the fight because he contracted COVID-19.
Usman dominated the fight with clinch work and takedowns. He earned a unanimous decision to retain his title. Now that both fighters have had a full camp, will things be different this time?
Also on the card are Valentina Shevchenko defending her women’s flyweight title against Jessica Andrade and Zhang Weili putting her women’s strawweight title on the line against former champion Rose Namajunas.
Shevchenko is widely recognized as the second-best woman fighter on the planet. She pushed dual champion Amanda Nunes to the limit on two occasions before dropping down to flyweight and becoming champion with a dominant performance over Joanna Jędrzejczyk. She will be seeking her fifth consecutive title defense when she faces former strawweight champion Andrade.
Zhang is making her second title defense after putting on a Fight of the Year performance against Jędrzejczyk in March 2020 before the pandemic struck. Namajunas put herself back in title position last July by avenging her title loss to Andrade.
Sporting News is tracking live fight updates and highlights from Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 and the entire undercard. Follow for complete results from UFC 261.
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UFC 261 live updates, highlights from Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2
Chris Weidman loses by TKO to Uriah Hall after breaking his leg on first kick
11:28 p.m.: The second of three title fights is up next as Zhang Weili defends her strawweight title against former champion Rose Namajunas.
Valentina Shevchenko bullies Jessica Andrade with 7 takedowns; finishes her in two rounds
Result: This was total domination by Shevchenko. Knowing that Andrade’s only chance was to use her pressure and wrestling, Shevchenko made the conscious decision to beat the Brazilian at her own game. Using seven takedowns in less than two rounds, Shevchenko proved that she has no weaknesses. Clearly aware that Andrade was wilting, Shevchenko seventh takedown would be her last as she put Andrade ina crucifix and rained down punches and elbows. There’s nobody left for Shevchenko in this division. The only fight that matters is a third fight with Amanda Nunes.
Round 2 (11:22 p.m.): Another takedown to open the 2nd round. She’s sapping the energy out of Andrade. Andrade gets to her feet and digs for a single leg takedown. Nope. Denied. Shevchenko takes her down again. Her 7th. Crucifix by Shevchenko. She’s dropping bombs. And it’s over. Total domination by the champion.
Round 1 (11:16 p.m.): Andrade’s game is pressure but Shevchenko wastes little time pushing forward and securing a takedown. After a pair of takedowns, Andrade gets to her feet but takes a head kick. Shevchenko is carving her up with combinations. A fourth takedown by Shevchenko. She gets Andrade’s back and sinks in a rear naked choke. Andrade survives but is being totally dominated by the champ. A fifth takedown by Shevchenko. This is absurd. She’s bullying Andrade. 10-9 Shevchenko
10:55 p.m.: After two fights that ended in the first round, we’re now heading into the first of three championship fights as Valentina Shevchenko will defend her women’s flyweight championship against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
10:50 p.m.: This was unfortunate and the cruelest turn by the MMA Gods tonight. Chris Weidman broke his leg in a way that was eerily reminiscent of how Anderson Silva’s leg broke against Weidman seven years ago. It was just 17 seconds into the fight and Weidman fired a leg kick that Hall checked. Weidman’s leg grotesquely snapped at the shin and the former champion collapsed in a heap as referee Herb Dean immediately called the fight off. It’s a frightening situation that one can only hope that Weidman is able to make a recovery from.
10:39 p.m.: Up next is former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman facing Uriah Hall. Weidman has a victory over Hall but that was over a decade ago and a lot has changed for both fighters. Weidman is likely on his last ride and the 36-year-old can’t afford to lose tonight while Hall has shown tremendous potential but hasn’t quite lived up to what everyone thought he could be. It is do or die for both fighters tonight.
Anthony Smith gets TKO with leg kick to Jimmy Crute
10:32 p.m.: Anthony Smith earned a first round TKO against Jimmy Crute after a leg injury from a leg kick prevented Crute from continuing. A competitive first-round changed when Smith landed a leg kick to Crute’s left leg caused his leg to give out. Crute tried to continue but it was clear that he couldn’t stand and the fight was stopped before the second round began. Prior to that, it was Crute who was landing the leg kicks while Smith was sharp with the jab. The fight was shaping up to be a good one until the Smith leg kick changed everything.
10:15 p.m.: We’re kicking off UFC 261 with a full house and a light heavyweight battle between Anthony Smith and Jimmy Crute. Smith bounced back from back-to-back losses with a first-round submission against Devin Clark while Crute has two straight first-round finishes.
9:43 p.m.: Randy Brown finished the job against Oliveira with a remarkable one-armed rear-naked choke in the first round. He put Oliveira down with a straight right hand early in the round and chased the Brazilian to the canvas. Oliveira attempted to escape but Brown got his back and wrapped one arm around his opponent’s neck. Oliveira tried to fight him off but Brown was squeezing hard and got the submission finish. There was clearly a bit of animosity between the two fighters but Brown directed fans to his Twitch channel for an explanation.
9:32 p.m.: The crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena has been on fire from the first fight. Obviously, they are pleased to be able to watch fights live despite concerns of the lingering COVID pandemic. We’ve had a few finishes and some decisions but fans don’t care and are ready to blow the roof off once the main card hits. But, for now, we conclude the prelims with Alex Oliveira facing Randy Brown.
Usman vs. Masvidal 2 start time
- Early prelims: 5:45 p.m. ET
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
- PPV main card: 10 p.m. ET
- Usman vs. Masvidal fight: 12:15 a.m. ET (approx.)
The main card for UFC 261 will begin around 10 p.m. ET. Usman and Masvidal are expected to enter the Octagon at approximately 12:15 a.m. ET. The start time of the main event will depend on how long the earlier fights last.
How to watch UFC 261
- TV channels: ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
The early fights on the UFC 261 card can be watched on ESPN or streamed via the Watch ESPN app. The main card will be available via ESPN+, which requires a subscription.
Click here to learn more about ESPN+ pricing and bundling options.
UFC 261 card
Main card
- Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal for Usman’s UFC welterweight championship
- Zhang Weili (c) vs. Rose Namajunas for Zhang’s UFC women’s strawweight championship
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Jessica Andrade via 2nd round TKO to retain UFC women’s flyweight championship (3:19)
- Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman via 1st round TKO (:17)
- Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute via 1st round TKO (5:00)
Prelims
- Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveira via 1st round submission (2:50)
- Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic via split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 28-29)
- Brendan Allen def. Karl Roberson via 1st round submission (4:55)
- Patrick Sabatini def. Tristan Connelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28)
Early prelims
- Danaa Batgerel def. Kevin Natividad via 1st round TKO (:50)
- Rodrigo Vargas def. Rong Zhu via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Jeffrey Molina def. Qileng Aori via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-27)
- Ariane Carnelossi def. Na Liang via 2nd round TKO (1:28)
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