‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ delivered one of the vital brutal knockouts in UFC history five years ago today.
2021 was a giant yr for UFC pay-per-views, as crowds returned to arenas after the outbreak of COVID-19. One of the vital highly anticipated events was UFC 261 in Jacksonville on this present day, April 24.
The event is remembered for 2 memorable title fight knockouts at the highest of the cardboard, along with Chris Weidman’s gruesome leg break.
After Rose Namajunas’ head kick to dethrone Zhang Weili, Kamaru Usman viciously knocked out Jorge Masvidal of their rematch to stay welterweight king, a result that Conor McGregor managed to take credit for.
What’s one of the best knockout in MMA history?
Conor McGregor accused Kamaru Usman of ‘copying’ him at UFC 261
UFC 261 attracted over 700,000 domestic pay-per-view buys, and people fans definitely got value for money with how the event concluded.
After a low-activity decision victory of their first fight, many were expecting an identical grappling-heavy approach from Usman when he was tasked with defending his 170-pound gold against Masvidal again.
As a substitute, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ brutally floored ‘Gamebred’ with a wonderfully timed right hand early in round two, before following up with some ruthless ground strikes to place the Miami native out cold.
The KO was among the many yr’s best and garnered immediate praise, but McGregor had a unique response after seeing Masvidal get slept.
In a post on Instagram, the Irishman shared a clip from his rematch with Dustin Poirier that showed him throwing an identical move at ‘The Diamond’.
The UFC’s first champ-champ vowed to make Usman pay for “copying” his attacks.
“Usman even copying my shots now,” McGregor wrote within the caption.
“Am I to fight this guy at some stage? I believe so. Can’t be copying my words and my shots and never get a smack for it. I like 170. It’s mine soon,” he added.
Kamaru Usman called Conor McGregor out in 2026
The pair have steadily gone backwards and forwards, and so they proceed to accomplish that in 2026.
Earlier this yr, Usman staked his claim to welcome McGregor back to motion. The Irishman is predicted to fight for the primary time since his broken leg at UFC 264 in 2021.
“Usman X McGregor 2026,” Usman wrote on X.
The promotion looks more likely to go in a unique direction, with former featherweight and BMF champion Max Holloway reportedly the frontrunner to fight McGregor within the UFC 329 most important event this July.
Usman, meanwhile, looks unlikely to have one other of his wishes granted. Ian Machado Garry is rumored to be in line to challenge Islam Makhachev despite the welterweight champ pointing to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ as his preference.
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