UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal takes place Saturday, July 11 at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal Odds
Kamaru Usman -260
Jorge Masvidal +200
Alexander Volkanovski -210
Max Holloway +170
Petr Yan -240
Jose Aldo +205
Rose Namajunas -170
Jessica Andrade +145
Amanda Ribas -450
Paige VanZant +350
Volkan Oezdemir -150
Jiri Prochazka +130
Muslim Salikhov -190
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos +165
Makwan Amirkhani -155
Danny Henry +115
Leonardo Santos -190
Roman Bogatov +150
Maxim Grishin -135
Marcin Tybura -105
Raulian Paiva -115
Zhalgas Zhumagulov -105
Karol Rosa -210
Vanessa Melo +160
Martin Day -110
Davey Grant -110
Here are my initial thoughts on the UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal Opening Odds:
- This card is ridiculously stacked and on paper is the best card of the year. There are three title fights on deck, including the welterweight title on the line in the main event between Usman and Masvidal. The fight was booked on super short notice after Gilbert Burns pulled out due to a positive COVID-19 test, and MMA fans couldn’t be any happier as Usman vs. Masvidal is one of the biggest fights of the year. Usman is riding a 15-fight win streak and is a perfect 11-0 in the UFC while Masvidal is riding a three-fight win streak as he’s exploded into a global superstar. Usman is the champion and deserves to be favored, but the line isn’t giving Masvidal much respect. This looks like a dog-or-pass situation despite the short notice.
- The co-main event is an intriguing rematch between Volkanovski and Holloway. These two met last December, with Volkanovski pulling off the upset with a decision win. Volkanovski is riding an 18-fight win streak and is a perfect 8-0 in the UFC while Holloway is 17-5 overall in the UFC, though he’s lost two of his last three fights. After winning the first fight it only makes sense that Volkanovski is favored this time around, but you can’t count Holloway out.
- The third title fight sees Yan take on Aldo for the vacant bantamweight belt. Yan is riding a nine-fight win streak and is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC, while Aldo is actually coming off of two straight losses. Aldo is a legend of the sport and one of the greatest strikers to ever play the game, but Yan is the younger fighter and has tons of momentum heading into this fight. Aldo can’t be ignored here, but most of the advantages point to Yan getting his hand raised here.
- The undercard is where this card really shines. There are a number of incredible fights on it, one of which is a rematch between Andrade and Namajunas. The two former UFC women’s strawweight champions fought last May, with Andrade winning by slam KO. Andrade lost her belt to Weili Zhang shortly after that while Namajunas hasn’t fought at all, so both women have a lot to prove with this fight. The first meeting last year was competitive up until the finish, and the rematch should be very interesting to watch as well. Having said that, I’m surprised Andrade is the underdog here considering she won the first fight just over a year ago.
