UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- 16 hours ago
- 8 min read
Introduction
UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 took place on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first full-capacity UFC event of the post-COVID era — 15,000 fans in attendance, an audible crowd for the first time in 13 months, and the formal end of the closed-door APEX run. It was also the most loaded card of 2021, featuring three world title fights and one of the most disturbing in-cage injuries in UFC history. The card produced an estimated 850,000 pay-per-view buys.
Kamaru Usman delivered the most decisive moment of his welterweight title reign — a second-round KO of Jorge Masvidal in their rematch. Their first meeting at UFC 251 had been a five-round decision on six days' notice. The rematch had a full camp, and Usman finished what he had started — a right hand at 1:02 of round two that dropped Masvidal and ended the night.
The co-main produced the upset of the year. Rose Namajunas, the former strawweight champion who had lost the title to Jessica Andrade in 2019, KO'd Zhang Weili with a left head kick at 1:18 of round one to reclaim the strawweight title. The third title fight saw Valentina Shevchenko defend the women's flyweight title with a second-round TKO of Jessica Andrade.
And then there was the Chris Weidman moment. The former middleweight champion threw a leg kick at Uriah Hall in the first 17 seconds of their bout; Hall checked it perfectly. Weidman's tibia and fibula snapped on impact. The injury was the most graphic televised leg break in UFC history and effectively ended Weidman's competitive career.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, April 24, 2021
📍 Venue: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
👥 Attendance: 15,259 (full capacity — first full-capacity UFC event in 13 months)
💰 Gate: $2.3 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~850,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Usman def. Masvidal via KO (punches) — R2, 1:02
🥇 Co-Main: Rose Namajunas def. Zhang Weili (c) via KO (head kick) — R1, 1:18 — Strawweight Title
🦀 Third Title Fight: Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Jessica Andrade via TKO (punches) — R2, 3:19 — Women's Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal had history. Their first fight at UFC 251 in July 2020 had been booked on six days' notice after Gilbert Burns withdrew due to COVID-19. Masvidal had taken the fight on a week's notice, made weight with a 20-pound water cut, and lost by competitive unanimous decision. The narrative coming out of the first bout was that Usman's wrestling had been the difference, but Masvidal's striking had been competitive throughout.
Masvidal had spent the nine months between bouts pushing publicly for the rematch — arguing that a full camp would change everything. The UFC agreed; the rematch was booked for UFC 261 in Jacksonville, his adopted hometown. The build-up was emotional: Masvidal saw the fight as a chance to redeem the worst-case scenario of UFC 251 and to win the title in front of a hometown crowd.
The co-main saw Zhang Weili defending the strawweight title against Rose Namajunas. Zhang was 21-1 and on a 21-fight win streak; she had defended the title successfully in a Fight of the Year against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March 2020. Namajunas, the former champion, had lost the title to Jessica Andrade by KO at UFC 237 in May 2019 and was fighting for the chance to reclaim what she had lost.
The third title fight was Valentina Shevchenko defending the women's flyweight title against Jessica Andrade, who had moved up from strawweight to challenge for a second title. Shevchenko was -700, the largest favourite of the card.
Main Event: Usman vs. Masvidal 2
Round one was a feeler. Kamaru Usman opened with his customary jab game, refused to engage in the wild exchanges Masvidal wanted, and circled away from the fence. Masvidal landed three clean shots in the first three minutes, but Usman absorbed them and answered with combinations that backed Masvidal up. By the end of round one, both men were 50/50 on the scorecards, but Usman was reading Masvidal's offensive patterns.
Round two ended it. At 0:55, Masvidal threw a leg kick that Usman timed perfectly. The champion stepped through with a right hand to the chin at 1:02 of round two. Masvidal fell forward; Usman landed two unanswered ground strikes before referee Herb Dean intervened. It was the first time Jorge Masvidal had been knocked out in his MMA career and the most decisive moment of Usman's championship reign.
In his post-fight interview, Usman flexed and shouted at the crowd: "I told you all! Nobody can stop me!" The 15,000-fan audience — the first full-capacity audience in over a year — responded with one of the loudest pops of the night. Masvidal would not get another title shot; he fought twice more in the UFC (losing both) before retiring in 2023.
Co-Main Event: Zhang vs. Namajunas
Rose Namajunas reclaimed the strawweight title in 78 seconds. Zhang Weili opened the round flat-footed, refused to circle off the cage, and ate a left high kick that landed cleanly on her chin at 1:18. Zhang collapsed unconscious. Namajunas landed one follow-up shot before referee Herb Dean stopped it. It was the second time in Zhang's career she had been finished and the first time she had been TKO/KO'd.
Namajunas reclaimed the title two years after losing it. Her post-fight interview was characteristically philosophical: "I'm just grateful for the opportunity. I worked so hard to get back here." Zhang would rematch Namajunas at UFC 268 in November 2021 (a competitive split-decision loss for Zhang) and would eventually reclaim the title against Carla Esparza at UFC 281 in November 2022 by submission.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Kamaru Usman (c) def. Jorge Masvidal — KO (punches) — R2, 1:02 — Welterweight Title
Rose Namajunas def. Zhang Weili (c) — KO (head kick) — R1, 1:18 — Strawweight Title
Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Jessica Andrade — TKO (punches) — R2, 3:19 — Women's Flyweight Title
Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman — TKO (leg injury) — R1, 0:17 — Middleweight
Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute — TKO (leg kicks) — R1, 4:43 — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveira — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R1, 1:44 — Welterweight
Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Welterweight
Tristan Connelly def. Pat Sabatini — N/A (Correction: Sabatini def. Connelly via Unanimous Decision) — Featherweight
Kazula Vargas def. N/A (Correction: Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Jerome Rivera via Unanimous Decision) — Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Kamaru Usman — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Jorge Masvidal.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Rose Namajunas — $50,000 for the 78-second head-kick KO of Zhang Weili to claim the strawweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Anthony Smith — $50,000 for the first-round leg-kick TKO of Jimmy Crute.
Records & Milestones
• First full-capacity UFC event of the post-COVID era — 15,259 fans, $2.3 million gate, the first audible crowd at a UFC event in 13 months.
• Second numbered UFC PPV in two months to feature three world title fights — after UFC 259 the previous March.
• Usman's fourth successful UFC Welterweight Championship defense and 14th consecutive UFC win.
• First time Jorge Masvidal had been knocked out in his MMA career across 50+ professional bouts.
• Rose Namajunas became the first UFC strawweight in history to reclaim the title after a loss — her second reign began at UFC 261.
• Chris Weidman suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg in the first 17 seconds of his bout with Uriah Hall — the most graphic televised leg break in UFC history.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 261 is remembered as the night the UFC returned to full-capacity live audiences after the COVID-19 closed-door run. The 15,000-fan crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena was the first audible UFC crowd since UFC 248 in March 2020. The atmosphere transformed the broadcast — the popping ovations for Namajunas's head-kick KO and Usman's KO of Masvidal became some of the most-replayed moments of the year.
For Kamaru Usman, the win cemented his case as the most dominant welterweight champion in UFC history. He extended his win streak to 14, made his fourth title defense (with one more to come at UFC 268), and silenced the 'asterisk' debate that had followed the short-notice UFC 251 bout. Masvidal had been given his full camp; Usman had finished him in 6 minutes 2 seconds.
For Rose Namajunas, the second strawweight title reign would last just over six months. She defended successfully against Zhang Weili in the rematch at UFC 268 in November 2021 (split decision), then lost the title to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in May 2022 by split decision.
For Chris Weidman, the leg injury effectively ended his competitive career. He underwent surgery the next day, spent 18 months in rehabilitation, and returned to the UFC for one more fight at UFC 292 in August 2023 (a unanimous-decision loss to Brad Tavares). He retired in 2024.
FAQ
Was UFC 261 really the first full-capacity UFC event in over a year?
Yes. The last full-capacity UFC event before UFC 261 had been UFC 248 in March 2020 (Adesanya vs Romero, ~18,000 fans). For 13 months in between, every UFC card had been closed-door (APEX) or limited-capacity (Etihad Arena's 2,000-fan run for UFC 257). UFC 261's 15,259-fan attendance and $2.3 million gate were the first since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
How did Namajunas KO Zhang Weili?
A left high kick at 1:18 of round one that landed clean on Zhang's chin. The champion had opened the round flat-footed, refused to circle off the cage, and walked directly into the kick. The strike rendered her unconscious; Namajunas landed one follow-up shot before referee Herb Dean stopped it. It was the first KO/TKO loss of Zhang's career.
What happened with Chris Weidman?
At 17 seconds of round one, Weidman threw a leg kick at Uriah Hall; Hall checked the kick perfectly with his shin. The impact snapped Weidman's tibia and fibula in his right leg. The injury was visible in real time on the broadcast — the leg buckled and Weidman fell forward, screaming. The bout was waved off. Weidman underwent surgery the next day; the leg required 18 months of rehabilitation. The footage became one of the most-watched non-finish moments in UFC history.
Did Usman-Masvidal trilogy?
No. UFC 261 was the second and final meeting. Masvidal would not get another title shot; he fought twice more (losing both, including a 2022 unanimous-decision loss to Colby Covington) and retired from MMA in 2023. The Usman-Masvidal series ended 2-0 Usman (UD at UFC 251, KO at UFC 261).
How did Shevchenko fight on a three-title-fight card?
Shevchenko was placed in the third title-fight slot — ahead of the co-main and main event but below the headline pair. She delivered another lopsided performance against Jessica Andrade, scoring a TKO at 3:19 of round two (after dropping Andrade in round one with a clinch knee). It was her fourth successful women's flyweight title defense after the wins at UFC 255 (Maia) and earlier.
How does UFC 261 compare to UFC 260?
UFC 261 drew approximately 850,000 PPV buys versus UFC 260 (600,000) one month earlier. The 250,000 jump reflected the three-title-fight format, the rematch storyline of Usman-Masvidal, and the novelty of the first full-capacity audience in over a year. UFC 261 was the highest-PPV non-McGregor card of 2021.
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