21 November 2024

UFC: Kamaru’s Relentless Pursuit Of Greatness Shows No Signs Of Stopping

 

When he enters the octagon on Saturday, he will be aiming to reach another level of greatness when he defends his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida.

He had told channels sports on December the 22nd, 2017 that he was not only going to become champion but would also dominate the division and true to his words, the 33-year-old appears unstoppable.

He has become an absolute nightmare for his rivals vanquishing every one of them on his way to striking gold with a dominant win over former champion, Tyron Woodley almost two years after his prediction.

File photo of Kamaru Usman

 

Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns have since fallen to his superior fighting skills in stunning title defenses.

Usman is already one of the best-ever mixed martial artists and the stats back him up. He is one of only three fighters including Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA history to begin his UFC career 13-0.

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He has surpassed the Great George St-Pierre’s divisional record of 12 straight wins and if he defeats Masvidal for the second time early Sunday morning Nigerian time, the Auchi-born grappler will own the second-longest winning streak in UFC history, behind Silva’s 16.

 

Usman defeated Masvidal by unanimous decision at UFC 251 last July, but Masvidal accepted the fight on 6 days’ notice after stepping in as a replacement for Gilbert Burns.

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After eventually dispatching Burns at UFC 258 in February, the champ called out Masvidal vowing to “break him” this time around thus removing any doubt about his superiority.

Once again the 33-year-old is an odds-on favorite with the bookmakers to retain his title and another conclusive win will be another major step towards the summit of MMA’s welterweight Mount Rushmore.