Kamaru Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title as he takes on Jorge Masvidal on Saturday, April 24 in Jacksonville, Florida. These two met at UFC 251 where Usman won by unanimous decision. Usman is listed as more than a 4-1 favorite to win this rematch. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card and a total of nine fights on the preliminary card with four on ESPN/ESPN+ and four on ESPN2/ESPN+. Let's look at the bout between Usman and Masvidal and UFC predictions.
UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 Betting
Kamaru Usman (13-0, 5-0 UFC)
Usman came into the UFC with a record of 5-1 and he is unbeaten in the UFC at 13-0. He is coming off a TKO win against Gilbert Burns in February. His win against Masvidal come in July of last year and was by unanimous decision. Usman won by TKO against Colby Covington in December of 2019, won by unanimous decision against Tyron Woodley in March of 2019 and Usman won by unanimous decision against Rafael dos Anjos in November of 2018. Usman has been a pro since 2012 and he has eight wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has three first round finishes.
Usman said to the media that he is tired of Masvidal running his mouth. "The only reason this man took the [first] fight is because it was on six days' notice and he had a built-in excuse, and he's still running his mouth," Usman said. "...I'll give you a whole training camp. I guarantee you won't sign on that dotted line because this time I'mma finish your ass. Anyone of these fools can get it; any one of them. But he keeps running his mouth. If he's gonna talk, step in there and you gotta see me."
Jorge Masvidal (35-14, 12-7 UFC)
Masvidal came into the UFC with a record of 23-7 and he has 12 wins and seven losses in the UFC. In his last five fight he is 3-2. He is coming off a loss to Usman by unanimous decision in July of last year. He previously won by TKO against Nate Diaz in November of 2019, won by KO against Ben Askren in July of 2019, won by KO against Darren Till in March of 2019 and lost a unanimous decision against Stephen Thompson in November of 2017. Masvidal has been a pro since 2003 and he has 16 wins by knockout and two by submission. He has nine first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Usman 4.66/ Masvidal 4.20
Striking Accuracy: Usman 54% / Masvidal 47%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Usman 2.33/ Masvidal 3.00
Defense: Usman 58% / Masvidal 65%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Usman 3.22/ Masvidal 1.57
Takedown Accuracy: Usman 47% / Masvidal 59%
Takedowns defended: Usman 100% / Masvidal 77%
Submission average: Usman 0.1/ Masvidal 0.4
UFC Picks
Usman is not just a good fighter, but you can make a case he is a great fighter. He has never lost in the UFC and he already has a dominant win against Masvidal. And in this fight, we get a motivated Usman who is out to destroy Masvidal. I don't see any path of victory for Masvidal, but I am still not willing to lay the 4-1 price on Usman. I do believe what Usman has said and that he is going to be looking for the finish, so I will take the rounds to go under the total at plus money.
UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 Card & Odds
Welterweight - Jorge Masvidal +335 vs. Kamaru Usman -439
Women's Strawweight - Rose Namajunas +173 vs. Zhang Weili -210
Women's Flyweight - Jessica Andrade +322 vs. Valentina Shevchenko -419
Middleweight - Chris Weidman -127 vs. Uriah Hall +103
Light Heavyweight - Anthony Smith +162 vs. Jimmy Crute -196
Bantamweight - Kevin Natividad +154 vs. Danaa Batgerel -186
Middleweight - Karl Roberson +118 vs. Brendan Allen -142
Flyweight - Jeffrey Molina -107 vs. Qileng Aori -117
Women's Strawweight - Na Liang +162 vs. Ariane Carnelossi -196
Lightweight - Rodrigo Vargas +201 vs. Zhu Rong -250
Welterweight - Alex Oliveira +134 vs. Randy Brown -162
Welterweight - Stefan Sekulic +200 vs. Dwight Grant -245
Bantamweight - Jamey Simmons vs. Johnny Munoz
Featherweight - Patrick Sabatini -225 vs. Tristan Connelly +184
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