And when I need to pull them out, I can pull them out and use them. "Whenever Masvidal was able to get separation, he remained dangerous, even into the closing seconds of the fifth and final round. Masvidal told Usman as the two embraced that they would "run it back. The event would have marked the promotion's second visit to Perth, following While not officially announced by the organization, a On June 9, the UFC revealed that the "Fight Island" site would be Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and that it would also host four events in July.The previously mentioned UFC Featherweight Championship rematch between Volkanovski and Holloway co-headlined the event.The following fights were also rescheduled for this event, after being scrapped due to different reasons from their original bookings: I made a lot of mistakes.
"I thought if Jorge didn't catch him with something, that's the way the fight would go. It was originally planned to take place on June 6 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. Kamaru Usman explains how he nearly got lax after Gilbert Burns withdrew from UFC 251. Masvidal and Usman had been feuding since a verbal altercation on Super Bowl radio row back in February.After Sunday's meeting, the two men showed each other respect. I trained for Gilbert. I had a completely different game plan. The Nigerian-born Florida resident has not lost since his second pro bout, in 2013. "The addition of Masvidal, one of the UFC's biggest stars, actually made the fight more highly anticipated. UFC's first event at Fight Island is in the books after Kamaru Usman successfully defended his welterweight championship against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi , … "UFC president Dana White later said in his postfight news conference that Burns would be next for Usman. Usman's scheduled opponent, "'[Masvidal] is the biggest, baddest dude out there right now," Usman told UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik after the fight.
(0:57)With an opponent coming in on a week's notice, Usman's strategy was clear: grind and wear Masvidal out. ""It played out the way I thought it might," he said. None landed with any significance, and Usman held on for the comprehensive victory. "[Masvidal's] takedown defense was unbelievable. Usman, 33, was coming off a fifth-round TKO over How Usman kept focus when fight was nearly canceled (0:57) "I think that Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman is going to be a really, really good fight," White said.The Usman-Masvidal bout took place at the recently constructed Flash Forum on Yas Island, which the UFC has branded "Fight Island" for this monthlong stretch of events. "I'm just at a level better," Usman said. With the win, Usman retained his UFC welterweight title.Usman vs. Masvidal came together only in the past eight days. "Usman (17-1) has never lost in the UFC. "I have more tools in the toolbox. Usman was able to weather that early storm and grind Masvidal's offense to a halt beginning in the second round, which led to plenty of Usman pushing Masvidal up against the cage and taking him down. The facility is inside of a "safe zone" amid the Usman's 12 straight wins ties lightweight champion Masvidal started out hot in the first round, pushing the pace and landing hard kicks to Usman's legs and body. Bogatov was deducted 2 points in round 3 for multiple low blows and an illegal knee. "I think I showed a lot of my wrestling on six days' notice, that I'm not too easy to take down and to hold down on the ground. And it worked completely.Usman defeated Masvidal via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 251 on Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Masvidal closed the fight by throwing a flying knee and hard kicks. Masvidal landed some hard right hands, too, though Usman was never in danger.It was pretty clear Masvidal was attempting to finish things early, since he was coming in on short notice without full preparation. Usman vs. Masvidal came together only in the past eight days.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 12, 2020 at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. "I had to switch gears and prepare for him on a week's notice. Masvidal had two cuts open up in the second due to incidental clashes of heads. "There were some areas where I felt with a better training camp I could definitely surpass him," Masvidal said. He did it for five rounds and did what he could do. Usman is a beast, man.
I tried to fight in spots, because I felt that my gas tank wasn't the greatest. In early June, it was confirmed that the event would instead take place in Abu Dhabi. "I had to make a mental shift. He would get taken down and get back up against Usman, which is tough to do. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed on April 9.