Welcome back, UFC: Usman, Namajunas knockouts highlight fights

One skull-rattling kick to the head. One decisive punch. One volley of cheers from Jacksonville’s first UFC crowd. One message.

Welcome back.

Welcome back to Jacksonville, for the global mixed-martial arts circuit, where Kamaru Usman demonstrated his power on a stunning scale.

Welcome back to fans, who poured into VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in droves for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic touched down in Florida.

And welcome back, to the top of the MMA world, to Rose Namajunas, who electrified the crowd with the kick of the night.

“I did it again!” she exclaimed.

That she did, with a knockout to oust champion Zhang Weili — in front of 15,000 bellowing fans — to highlight UFC’s return to Jacksonville at UFC 261.

The festival of fights began Saturday night and carried on into early Sunday morning, when welterweight champion Usman closed the proceedings with a thunderous knockout of Jorge Masvidal in the second round in an all-Florida battle.

Usman had beaten Masvidal by decision in the United Arab Emirates on July 12, 2020. This time, he left the outcome in no doubt, declaring himself “the pound-forpound best fighter on the planet right now.”

“Jacksonville, Florida, you said you wanted violence? You got it,” Usman said.

A crushing right to the head, followed by punches on the ground, knocked out the Miami fighter for the first time in Masvidal’s career at 1:02 of the second round.

“That’s what happens when you get overconfident,” Masvidal said.

While Usman overcame the opposition of a pro-Masvidal crowd, Namajunas sent the crowd into delight.

Amid the chants of “Let’s go, Rose!” and “U-S-A!”, the Milwaukee-born fighter recaptured her championship with a firstround knockout of women’s strawweight champion Zhang of China.

Namajunas delivered a stunning left high kick to Zhang’s head and finished the champion’s 21-bout unbeaten streak at 1:18 of the opening round.

Champion for a year and a half from 2017 to 2019, Namajunas now tops the sport once more.

An emotional Namajunas celebrated her success inside the octagon.

Valentina Shevchenko had no trouble defending her women’s flyweight title for the fifth time, dominating Jessica Andrade from the start to win by second-round stoppage.

Jacksonville’s first two-time UFC fighter, Anthony Smith fared far better than in his May loss to Glover Teixeira. Smith defeated Jimmy Crute after one round after Crute was unable to stand up for the second round, hampered by an apparent knee or lower leg injury after Smith’s leg strikes.

Far uglier was the injury that ended the night for former middleweight champion Chris Weidman after just 17 seconds.

Weidman was delivering a kick to Uriah Hall when his own leg rebounded with a sickening crack, bending in grotesque fashion. Referee Herb Dean immediately halted the fight as a victory for Hall, and trainers wheeled Weidman from the octagon on a stretcher.