A welterweight title rematch is on deck for the UFC’s first event in front of a full capacity crowd as Kamaru Usman looks to take on Jorge Masvidal for the second time at UFC 261.
A welterweight title rematch will headline the first event in front of a full capacity crowd as Kamaru Usman will meet Jorge Masvidal in main event of UFC 261 on April 24. The event is set to take place at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena and will feature three title fights at the top of the card.
WE ARE BACK!!!!!!#UFC261 April 24th. Jacksonville, FL. FULL CROWD. pic.twitter.com/5dy7wb4OWE
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 16, 2021
Kamaru Usman is looking for a record 14th consecutive victory and to build on an impressive two year campaign that has seen him win the title and defend it against Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Gilbert Burns. In his last outing, against Burns this past February, “The Nigerian Nightmare” broke the previous record set by the legendary Georges St-Pierre. Following the bout, Usman called for another fight with Masvidal to outdo his previous performance against the pay-per-view megastar.
Jorge Masvidal will be looking to get back in the win-column after his three fight win-streak was snapped by Usman last July. After stopping Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz, Masvidal became a pay-per-view lightening rod with his numbers against Diaz and Usman performing exceptionally well. “Gamebred” stepped in on a week’s notice against Usman last July, filling in for Gilbert Burns who was forced out of the bout due to illness. Masvidal had originally been set for the title fight but was unable to come to terms with the UFC. Masvidal signed a new deal prior to the fight with Usman, but lost the fight by unanimous decision at UFC 251. He has not competed since.
Both men were originally thought to be coaching The Ultimate Fighter this summer prior to the announcement being made. Plans for the reality fighting show remain up in the air. UFC 261 is set to feature two more title fights however: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade and Weilli Zhang vs. Rose Namajunas.
