Mohammed Usman defeats Junior Tafa in UFC debut

Mohammed Usman, brother of former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder Kamaru, was assigned the responsibility of taking on Junior Tafa, brother of UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa, in the octagon at UFC Vegas 71 early on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

In other words, it was a family affair with a disparity in body types between Usman, a mountain of muscle, and Tafa, a heavyweight who had previously competed at 205.

Usman started attacking the kickboxer's legs a minute into the bout in an effort to knock him down. Usman was successfully maintained upright by Tafa. 

Tafa was doing a good job of defending, but he had problems getting away from the cage. Usman wasn't doing much, but his physical strength was taxing on Tafa. 

Tafa escaped and departed with just a minute to spare. Usman was hit by him, forcing him to use skates for a little period. 

Tafa was throwing very erratically but managed to win that round with a couple powerful strokes. After a dull opening four minutes, the round came to a wild conclusion.

In the second round, Usman attempted a takedown but failed immediately. Tafa resumed his job while raising his hands. Usman's body language was really alarming each time he touched down. 

Finally, Usman was able to seize Tafa and secure the takedown. Usman was weighing heavily at the top but making no progress. 

Usman wasn't taking any action to elevate his standing. Tafa, on the other hand, simply lost control of his back and the round ended there.

Both competitors were clearly exhausted in the decisive round. Usman immediately pursued the takedown after the second round and eventually succeeded. 

Usman continued to delay, but Tafa was at a loss for how to stand back up.

Tafa ultimately rose to his feet with a minute remaining and struck Usman with an uppercut, but he ran out of time. All three judges would see the same thing when they looked at the scorecards.

Mohammed Usman defeated Junior Tafa with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28, respectively, according to the judges.