Written by Lucas Themelis
We may have just witnessed one of the best cards in UFC history, with three title fights on the card, former title challenger Anthony Smith taking on rising prospect Jimmy Crute, and a former champion and legend of the sport Chris Weidman taking on the scary veteran Uriah Hall. With the card full of finishes and not a single main card fight making it the distance, it is imperative we break down the event that made for a historical night in mixed martial arts.
UFC 261 was quite the thrill. The level of competition high, six current and former champions graced the card, and one thing completed the intensity and magnitude of the event that had been missed for over a year: the presence of a sold-out arena. For the first time since UFC 248 in early March 2020, headlined by a forgettable Adesanya vs. Romero but co-mained by the greatest strawweight fight ever in Zhang vs. Joanna, fans were able to spill into the venue, which was VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, where the UFC originally returned after the pandemic delay last year.
The fans made their presence felt early on, roaring from the start of the first early prelim fight which wildly over-delivered with an early 2nd round finish. The bar would be set high from the jump, and just about every fight after that leading up to the highly anticipated main card action would keep the fans on their feet.
The main card would be opened by Anthony Smith and Jimmy Crute. Smith would establish the jab early on, keeping Crute at bay. The striking numbers started to stack up fairly even regardless, but with a minute remaining in the opening round, Smith would deliver a kick to behind Crute’s left knee, which immobilized the leg and dropped Crute. Crute would show heart, immediately secure two takedowns to survive the round. He pleaded with the doctors to continue on, but they would call it in between rounds, devastating Crute.
This was the correct decision to make, as Crute could barely walk. Both men look good as Smith was using his jab to perfection and managing his distance, while Crute was using his leg kicks to open up for bigger shots. Smith ended up throwing just one leg kick that was simply just perfectly placed, and it shut Crute's leg down. It is possible these two will run it back soon as both were very disappointed that they could not continue, but it is unclear how long Crute will need to be sidelined from the injury.
The next fight up on the card was Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall. A rematch from over a decade ago dating back to their time on the regional scene, Weidman was able to secure a 1st round TKO victory to continue his undefeated start in the sport whilst handing Hall his first loss.
Sadly this fight did not last long as disaster struck. There was only one attempted to strike in this bout, with Weidman throwing a leg kick and hit the densest part of Hall's leg, shattering his ankle. If you missed it, viewer discretion is advised when looking back at it. Chris was stretchered out, and the bout ended immediately. Uriah was heartbroken about how this happened and was nothing but graceful in his interview with Joe Rogan after the fact.
Eight years prior, Weidman had been in Hall’s shoes as he took on Anderson Silva in a rematch that served as his first UFC middleweight title defense. The same fate would be bestowed upon the legend Silva, Weidman retaining the title. Now present day, with Weidman approaching the age Silva was at that time, he would be on the receiving end of one of the most gruesome injuries to incur.
Hopefully, Chris can rest and recover, and if he ever decides to give us the honor of watching him compete in the octagon again, many will be tuning in. On the other hand, if Chris recovers and decides to retire after this injury, he has absolutely nothing to prove. The former middleweight champion took the belt and ended the winning streak of one of the greatest of all time Anderson Silva, a winning streak that serves as the longest win streak in UFC history till this day at 16, the overall win streak 17 with an additional fight outside of the promotion.
For the first of the championship fights, Valentina Shevchenko would defend her flyweight belt against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, absolutely dominating the 1st round before getting the finish via ground and pound elbows in the 2nd round. Valentina just looked perfect in this fight; she appeared to have absolutely no weaknesses and was able to take her opponent to the ground with ease.
Andrade did not look bad by any means, but she just was not on the level that Shevchenko was on. The moment Valentina secured the crucifix position, the finish became inevitable. Andrade would fight to the end, with referee Dan Miragliotta forced to stop the fight once Valentina mercilessly started throwing short elbows, bashing Andrade into the canvas.
The penultimate fight was Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas, and wow, what a beautiful switch kick by Thug Rose to put the champ out in the first round. This was the biggest shocker for me, not so much that Rose won, but earning a knockout victory over Zhang in the first round is extremely impressive considering this is the second loss of her whole career, with her first coming in her debut fight in 2013 and the first time she has ever been finished, in her prime nonetheless.
The knockout victory is made even more impressive when you consider the total war between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang, which won the fight of the year last year. I predict these three women will be battling for the strawweight title for a while, as they seem to be atop the elite of the women's strawweight division, the deepest women’s division in the UFC right now.
Last but not least, we find ourselves at the main event, a rematch between champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal for the welterweight title. The lead-up to this one was massive, with the draw that Masvidal has become along with the notion of him receiving a full fight camp to properly prepare for the test that is the “Nigerian Nightmare”.
The fight was finished early in the 2nd round, with a brutal straight cross from Usman putting Masvidal’s lights out, sending him crashing to the floor. This was a real statement win for Usman, after dominating Masvidal through the majority of five rounds in their previous fight, to be the second person to ever finish Masvidal by knockout last night and the first to do so in 13 years.
Usman seems unrivaled in the welterweight division, and it is unclear if anyone is on his level at the moment. Since he has started training with world-renowned coach Trevor Whitman, his striking has been top class, leaving Kamaru with seemingly no weaknesses. Dana White has said Colby Covington is next in line for a shot, despite his slight inactivity, especially when compared to the champion.
This is the right fight to make and possibly the only real challenge for Kamaru. Colby was arguably winning their fight going into the fifth, with Kamaru only definitively winning the third round. Of course, the scorecards do not matter when your jaw is broken and referee Marc Goddard stops the fight with 50 seconds remaining after Usman sent Covington to the floor.
It is for that reason though that I believe this is the most challenging fight for Kamaru. If Usman wins again, he will put the nail in the coffin for this rivalry. However, if Colby wins, then the fans get an excellent trilogy fight.
Overall, the comeback of fans paired with some of the highest levels of competition that we have seen in a while made for quite a successful night at the office. It leaves us greatly anticipating what is next for these top fighters and excited for when the UFC gets back in action this Saturday night, May 1st, as light heavyweight contenders Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka face off in the main event. Do not miss it.
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