UFC 261 didn’t disappoint with its three title fights. All three resulted in KOs, with Valentina Shevchenko main off with a dominant victory over Jessica Andrade, followed by highlight-reel knockouts by Rose Namajunas and Kamaru Usman.
The moments had been memorable, nevertheless Jorge Masvidal used to be barely up off the mat after getting knocked out by Usman in the principle match sooner than eyes turned in the direction of the future. Is Usman on a trajectory to eclipse the supreme fighters the UFC has ever seen after transferring to 14-0 in the promotion, and in that case, can he continue to dominate the supreme fighters in the welterweight division? First up appears to be a rematch with Colby Covington.
As for Shevchenko, or not it is having a watch an increasing number of not seemingly that anyone loads of than Amanda Nunes gifts a severe distress to the females’s flyweight champion. But is now the fair appropriate-attempting time to guide the trilogy struggle, with the dangers that lengthen with it?
Namajunas used to be the fully challenger to take a title struggle at UFC 261, nevertheless or not it is acquainted territory for the now two-time strawweight champion. In having a watch at that division’s historical past, with its multitude of title adjustments, does Namajunas now have the supreme résumé and spend the mantle of UFC strawweight GOAT?
No longer all of Saturday’s headlines had been created inner the cage. UFC president Dana White acknowledged he would be originate to giving Prick Diaz, who hasn’t fought in six years and used to be in attendance Saturday, a return struggle. Will Diaz compete in the Octagon in 2021?
Our panel of Ariel Helwani, Marc Raimondi, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim breaks down what’s proper, and what’s not, coming out of UFC 261.
Prick Diaz will struggle in the UFC in 2021
Helwani: Accurate. I believed Prick Diaz when he told me in November 2019 that he’d struggle any other time in 2020. Definitely, no one might even have predicted the pandemic would extinguish many sizable issues deliberate for 2020, together with Diaz’s highly anticipated return. But 2021 is the contemporary 2020, and I deem he is steady in his resolve on to struggle not lower than yet yet again. He is coaching actively and appears to be in phenomenal shape over any other time. The actual fact that he used to be in attendance at UFC 261 also speaks volumes. He needs to be all around the game. He needs to embrace the game any other time. He wants the game to embrace him, too.
Be Water. pic.twitter.com/uN9oKCgcmk
— cut diaz (@nickdiaz209) April 14, 2021
Dana White acknowledged on the postfight news conference that he used to be going to talk over with Diaz in a while. I’m told that the meeting went neatly, nevertheless no loads of information had been supplied. That is OK. Right here is all fair appropriate-attempting news in hopes of seeing one amongst doubtlessly the most neatly-most popular fighters in MMA historical past compete for the first time in over six years.
Whom would he struggle in acknowledged return? We are succesful of distress about that later. I care for the muse of working it support with Robbie Lawler — why jump in the deep cease fair appropriate-attempting away? — nevertheless I think any opponent focus on might also merely be a tad untimely on the 2d. One thought I fabricate not love? Khamzat Chimaev. Why? No level in that. That might be an unlimited mistake. Nobody needs to leer Diaz avoiding relentless takedown makes an try. They are looking out to leer traditional Diaz, that shall be a welcome be aware for all.
It’s not unreasonable to deem Usman in the crash will hold GOAT plan
Raimondi: These are laborious issues to chat about in the 2d. Recency bias is an accurate thing. What Usman did in knocking out Masvidal at UFC 261 used to be spectacular. I think Usman is the high pound-for-pound fighter in the enviornment fair appropriate-attempting now. But the supreme of all time in MMA? That is a extraordinary more sturdy conversation.
With that being acknowledged, I’ll narrate this voice is proper. No, it is not unreasonable to think Usman might also at remaining rep to that prestigious plan. He is that fair appropriate-attempting, and appears to be fully improving. Already, it is doubtless you’ll seemingly also narrate Usman’s consistency is on a loads of plane than that of his peers. He is 14-0 in the UFC and has won 18 straight. No longer frequently ever have we ever even seen him in danger. And even when there appears to be a flaw or a 2d of challenge, Usman stays incredibly relaxed and nonetheless, care for when he came support from getting dropped in the first round at UFC 258 and carried out Gilbert Burns.
Those 14 straight wins in the UFC are major. Easiest one man has a longer UFC winning breeze: Anderson Silva, with 16 in a row. Within the course of the tail cease of that breeze, Silva used to be thought to be the supreme of all time. Georges St-Pierre used to be neck and neck with him, too, and Jon Jones progressively eclipsed each and each of them. Silva, St-Pierre and Jones all have one explicit thing in normal that Usman has yet to hold, and that’s lengthy title reigns.
Jones has 11 title defenses at gentle heavyweight, Silva had 10 at middleweight and GSP nine at welterweight. Usman is on the 2d sitting at four title defenses at welterweight — he is mute tied for third vow in the support of Matt Hughes at welterweight (seven) — so he has a programs to head with the belt sooner than he can rep into that conversation. Now, it is doubtless you’ll seemingly also fabricate the argument that the competition Usman goes through is on par with and even more sturdy than the opponents GSP, Silva and Jones fought. But that is a fancy thing to quantify.
Usman’s take Saturday used to be made even more spectacular by the methodology he did it. Masvidal had not misplaced by process of KO/TKO since 2008, and had by no methodology been set aside out the methodology Usman set aside him out with a bazooka-care for fair appropriate-attempting hand. Masvidal is notorious for his sturdiness. Usman dominated Masvidal remaining July at UFC 251 by unanimous resolution, nevertheless this time he set aside an undeniable label on it.
If Usman goes on and beats Covington in a single other rematch, then handles any individual care for Leon Edwards, the conversation about easiest welterweight and easiest fighter of all time might also also be reopened with an an increasing number of convincing argument. Usman, 33, is not there yet. But is it that it is doubtless you’ll seemingly also deem he might also in some unspecified time in the future reach that pinnacle? It fully is.
Dana White is only appropriate-attempting, there might perchance be no motive to guide Shevchenko/Nunes 3
Okamoto: No longer proper. Obviously, there are loads of reasons to guide the trilogy — particularly, that this would be the fully in level of fact competitive struggle for either one amongst them. Now, is there motive to guide it fair appropriate-attempting away? No longer in fact. The opportunity doesn’t seem to be going wherever.
But I build agree with White, in that Shevchenko and Nunes needs in express to fabricate their very be pleased legacies entirely damage free each and each other, sooner than we agree with squaring them off any other time. The actual fact is, they’re not in the same weight class. So, pitting them against each and each other, as sizable because it is, is not only appropriate-attempting to Shevchenko, since she’s continuously the one at a downside.
While it is doubtless you’ll seemingly also be the UFC, it doesn’t build extraordinary fair appropriate-attempting to guide the trilogy now. Sure, or not it is an fantastic struggle, nevertheless then what? If Nunes loses, then you definately appropriate misplaced your dominant “champ champ,” the fully most neatly-liked one on the roster (even supposing Shevchenko would not lower than temporarily spend that mantle, looking out on whether or not she’d prefer more fights at 135).
And if Shevchenko loses any other time, you have gotten lessened the charm of your flyweight champion. At this level, allow them to protect their respective titles against appropriate about each person. Own them in fact scrub these divisions orderly. And in the occasion that they are mute standing on the cease — as, not lower than fair appropriate-attempting now, we would ask them to be — then guide that third struggle.
Accurate or No longer: Namajunas is the supreme strawweight ever
Wagenheim: I reveal that is proper, nevertheless I narrate that without loads of vitality in the support of it. After I ponder who’s the supreme ever in any weight class, I deem the dominance that Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko have set aside on conspicuous mask in ruling their divisions. Namajunas has been removed from dominant.
Namajunas is now a two-time champion in the UFC’s 115-pound division, nevertheless she has fully one a hit title protection to her credit. Joanna Jedrzejczyk has five. But, clearly, Namajunas owns two victories over Jedrzejczyk. The fully loads of strawweight with a title protection is Zhang Weili, and it used to be the supreme struggle in strawweight historical past (also against Jedrzejczyk). But Namajunas has defeated Zhang, too. So it’d be laborious to single out anyone nevertheless “Thug Rose,” and with the title support in her possession, Namajunas might have a enormous gamble to bolster her case transferring forward.
The concept that of supreme ever appears unsuited for this weight class, as the throne has been caught in a revolving door. There had been six title reigns, higher than in any loads of females’s division as neatly as just a few longer-lived males’s weight lessons. But Namajunas has carried out a feature in each and each person of these reigns. Other than her be pleased two runs with the belt, she dethroned Jedrzejczyk and Zhang, used to be dethroned by Jessica Andrade and misplaced the 2014 title struggle that made Carla Esparza the inaugural UFC strawweight champ.
Namajunas’ fingerprints had been all the way throughout the division for its total short historical past. If that makes her the supreme at this level, so be it.
