Jorge Masvidal challenges Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 251.
PREVIEW -- 9:35 PM ET
Throughout his 17-year career, Jorge Masvidal has never been looked at as among the sport's elite.
That all can change tonight.
Masvidal challenges Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 251. This was originally scheduled to be Usman against teammate Gilbert Burns, but that fight was scrapped after Burns tested positive for COVID-19. Masvidal took the fight with only six days' notice, and he now has put himself in position to become one of the signature faces in all of MMA.
In addition to Masvidal-Usman, UFC 251 features three title fights. Max Holloway gets his chance to run it back with Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. Holloway was overpowered in their first meeting last December, and a second loss to Volkanovski will place him in dead center in UFC purgatory, far removed from the title picture, a place no fighter wants to reside. The vacant Bantamweight title will have a new home by the end of the night, as Peter Yan looks to add a defining win to his resume by defeating Jose Aldo. And though Aldo is in the twilight of his career, he’s had a dominant way of showing it. This fight feels like it could be a vintage Aldo performance, showing his uncanny footwork and speed to create a five-round, throwback masterpiece.
There are also title implications in the women’s Strawweight fight pitting Jessica Andrade against the returning Rose Namajunas. Andrade shocked Namajunas in the only meeting, winning the Strawweight title, but the jury remains out as to whether that outcome was a fluke. Namajunas had dominated the fight up until she was dumped on her head. A victory tonight instantly re-establishes her as the cream of the crop in the division.
The opening fight is a women’s flyweight contest, with Amanda Ribas looking to give a proper farewell to Paige VanZant in the final fight of her current UFC contract. VanZant seems destined to start a new chapter in Bellator, and a dominating performance by Ribas would go a long way in improving her stock.
UFC 251 offers a loaded fight card, and now is the time to see if the action meets the hype.