After UFC 261 Win, Kamaru Usman Says He’s MMA’s Top Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Kamaru Usman wasn’t pleased that Jorge Masvidal had a built-in excuse following their first meeting at UFC 251.

Usman garnered a five-round verdict over “Gambred” in that July bout, but Masvidal was able to claim that he was hindered by the lack of a full camp after accepting the fight on a week’s notice. Despite Usman’s victory being relatively clear cut, that little bit of doubt left a bad taste in his mouth, so “The Nigerian Nightmare” targeted Masvidal for a rematch following a stoppage of Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 in February.

The second time around, Usman brought some closure to the rivalry by knocking out Masvidal with a massive right hand and follow-up punches 62 seconds into Round 2 of their UFC 261 headlining bout at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night. He also found a measure of peace that he didn’t following UFC 251.

“I’m satisfied,” Usman said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s what I said, I wasn’t satisfied with the last one and I wanted to be satisfied tonight and I got that. It’s satisfying. I wanted to be satisfied tonight.

“When I compete against another man, I want it to be satisfying in knowing that man respects me for what I do. That’s all it is. I’m satisfied.”

Usman has now finished three of his last four title defenses by knockout or technical knockout. A wrestler by trade, the reigning welterweight champion was nonetheless confident he could use his hands to put Masvidal away.

“There’s two setups to that right hand that I just envisioned them landing,” Usman said. “That one was one of them. I tried the second one in the first round, but he’s a veteran. He’s game, and he saw it coming. I just had to stay composed, and I was going to find it.”

By besting Masvidal in memorable fashion, Usman won his 14th consecutive bout in UFC competition, the second-longest winning streak in promotion history behind only Anderson Silva (16). Usman believes he has done the work to be recognized as the sport’s top pound-for-pound talent.

“I have big, big goals for myself, and I want to see it on Monday,” Usman said. “Pound-for-pound, I’m the best fighter on the planet, and I just want to see that on Monday. I take it a fight at a time. If people want to consider me the best, then they can. But as of right now, I do believe that pound-for-pound I am the best fighter on the planet.”

It appears that a rematch with Colby Covington is on the horizon for Usman, as UFC president Dana White has indicated in interviews leading up to UFC 261 and did again on Saturday night. Usman, who defeated Covington via fifth-round technical knockout in one of 2019’s best fights, admits that he will have a difficult time topping that performance if a second meeting does come to fruition.

“I broke the kid’s jaw. How satisfying can you be after that?” Usman said. “I’m not really worried about any of these guys. Like I said, I lapped the field. I’m coming around and I’m coming with a vengeance. They have to show me something. Motivate me. Jorge, I wasn’t satisfied so he still motivated me.

“I just want these guys to show me that. Like I said, I’ve fought everyone that’s been put in front of me. These guys all ducked me for years. I just came through and I came through like a Miami hurricane.”