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Kelvin Ekerete
Published 1:28 am
UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, says Nigerian welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, has promised to knock out Jorge Masvidal when both fighters square off at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on April 25.
Usman defeated Masvidal via unanimous decision in 2020, with the American stating he had less than a week to prepare for the fight.
The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ is unbeaten since joining the UFC franchise in 2015, raking in 13 wins, including a second round knockout win over former teammate, Gilbert Burns, in his last outing at UFC 258 in Las Vegas in February.
Masvidal, who has had the complement of a full training camp, has not entered the Octagon since suffering the defeat to Usman.
Daniel Cormier: If anyone can beat Kamaru Usman, it’s Jorge Masvidal
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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
With a full training camp behind his belt, Daniel Cormier thinks Jorge Masvidal has every chance of beating Kamaru Usman in their upcoming championship rematch at UFC 261.
Masvidal lost to Usman on less than a weeks’ notice at UFC 251, and ‘DC’ thinks the training camp will make a huge difference in the rematch but says ‘Gamebred’ will have to fight the ‘perfect fight’.
“I think that we’re gonna see a much better fight between these two,” Cormier said on ESPN’s DC & Helwani program (h/t Clyde Aidoo of MMA News). “Is Jorge good enough to close the gap? I don’t know. It’s a tall hill to climb, man. Usman is as good as they come and Masvidal is going to have to fight the absolute perfect fight in order to beat him. But if anybody has that ability, it’s Jorge Masvidal.”
UFC 261 card: Anthony Smith vs Jimmy Crute full fight preview
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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight finishers Anthony Smith and Jimmy Crute will go to war this weekend (Sat., April 24, 2021) at UFC 261 inside Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
The 2020 fight season started off really, really poorly for “Lionheart.” His first match saw his teeth knocked out en route to a stoppage loss, and then Aleksandar Rakic pretty much manhandled him in his attempted rebound fight. Fortunately, Smith was able to recover in a step back in competition opposite Devin Clark, so hope is not yet lost. Meanwhile, Crute is one of Light Heavyweight’s most impressive prospects. The 25-year-old Australian is 4-1 inside the Octagon, and he’s finished each of his victories, earning a ranking in the process.
Dana White: COVID face masks optional for UFC 261 in Jacksonville ‘It’s your decision’
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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to welcome fans back to live events starting with the UFC 261: “Usman vs. Masvidal 2” pay-per-view (PPV) card this Sat. night (April 24, 2021) inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
This marks the first UFC event not staged inside a special COVID safety bubble, which promotion president Dana White constructed for the “crazy” media. But that doesn’t mean fight fans will be forced to wear a face mask because hey, this is Florida!
UFC 261: Five Biggest Storylines For A Loaded Fight Card In Jacksonville
The UFC is set to promote a fight card in front of a full capacity arena for the first time in over a year since the start of the global pandemic when a trio of title bouts headline Saturday’s UFC 261 pay-per-view from Jacksonville, Florida.
A full capacity of over 15,000 fans are expected inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena as welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defends his title in a headlining rematch against Jorge Masvidal.
With no shortage of storylines entering such a loaded fight card, let’s take a closer look at what to watch for entering this weekend.