To be exact UFC 251 will offer three championship bouts on the main card. Because of this viewership and UFC betting handle will be at all-time highs. UFC President Dana White adds to the appeal with his newly created Fight Island. Abu Dhabi has proven to be the perfect host for UFC championship action. With fewer travel restrictions for foreign fighters Fight Island made the most sense. Headlining the card is a welterweight title matchup. Accordingly defending champion Kamaru Usman will face Jorge Masvidal. “Main Event” is the perfect moniker for the showdown.
UFC 251 Usman vs. Burns Main Card Championship Fights
| Date and Time: | Saturday, July 11, 2020, 10 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN+ |
UFC 251 Main Card Odds:
| Fights | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal | -290 / +245 |
| Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway | -220 / +180 |
| Peter Yan vs. Jose Aldo | -230 / +190 |
| Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas | +160 / -185 |
| Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant | -850 / +575 |
Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal – Welterweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Usman | -290 |
| Masvidal | +245 |
In sum, Kamaru Usman has an offshore bookmaker record of 16 wins and just one loss. Usman’s only career defeat was seven years ago. Usman is coming off a five-round technical knockout win over Colby Covington. Above all, it was the first successful title belt defense for Usman. Previously Usman won the championship against then defending champion Tyron Woodley. Usman won a five-round unanimous decision. Usman made his fame as the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament.
By contrast, Jorge Masvidal has a career mark of 35 wins and 13 defeats. Masvidal has the momentum of a three-bout winning streak. Last time out was a technical knockout win over Nate Diaz. Third-ranked in the welterweight division confirms Masvidal is formidable. His five-second knockout win over Ben Askren remains fastest in history.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway – Featherweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Volkanovski | -220 |
| Holloway | +180 |
As a consequence of this being a championship, bout rematch is their considerable interest. Volkanovski has a tremendous record of 21 wins and one loss with the UFC Betting odds. He is coming off the biggest win of his career over Holloway. The five-round unanimous decision was at UFC 245 in Las Vegas on December 14, 2019. Now Volkanovski can prove his win over Holloway was no fluke.
The account of his loss to Volkanovski was a brief championship for Max Holloway. Holloway won the featherweight title in his previous fight against Frankie Edgar. Subsequently came the loss to Volkanovski. Holloway has a career record of 21 wins and five losses. Keep in mind that Holloway is the number one ranked featherweight in the world.
Peter Yan vs. Jose Aldo – Bantamweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yan | -230 |
| Aldo | +190 |
Third-ranked in the bantamweight division is Petr Yan. In view of his career record of 14 wins and one loss in gambling interest high. Yan is coming off a December 14, 2019 win over Urijah Faber. Specifically, Yan was the winner by a knockout kick.
Jose Aldo brings a career record of 28 wins and six losses. Of great concern is that he has lost his last two bouts. And in Aldo’s last eight fights he was the loser five times. Aldo is coming off his last fight on December 14, 2019. Marlon Moraes was the opponent in Las Vegas at UFC 245. A note of interest for this event was a recent matchup between Aldo and Alexander Volkanovski. May 11, 2019, was the date. Aldo lost a unanimous decision.
UFC 251 Free Championship Fight Picks
In this situation, Peter Yan is in much better form than Jose Aldo. Max Holloway is a top-ranked and capable live dog seeking revenge against Alexander Volkanovski. And Jorge Masvidal is getting a great price as the top-ranked welterweight vs. Kamaru Usman.
UFC 251 Main Card Picks: Peter Yan, Max Holloway, and Jorge Masvidal