Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal main card UFC Odds are available. Read on for our complete betting guide and preview on this weekend’s favorite matchups, including updated odds and our free expert betting predictions.
UFC 261 Main Event Prediction
Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal II
UFC Welterweight Championship Bout
Saturday, April 24, 2021 – 10:00 PM ET at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
UFC 261 is wholly stacked; with three championships on the line, I think it’s safe to assume the most anticipated contest points towards the main event competitors.
Reigning, defending, and undefeated welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will put his title up for grabs against Jorge Masvidal for the second time. The college wrestling standout has dominated the welterweight division since his arrival and remains undefeated under the UFC banner.
Usman’s mixed martial arts resume is strong, particularly in the wrestling department, where he’s won countless championships and honors. Still, once he failed to make the Olympic team, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ decided to usher his talents into an MMA cage.
Jorge Masvidal has become one of the UFC’s biggest star. His extroverted personality and cheekiness matched alongside a lifetime of striking prowess, has the BMF champion as a favourite amongst fans. Masvidal is a street fighter, and once he took those skills into the gym, the rest was history. Forty-eight professional fights later, and he is competing at the highest level, looking to claim the championship he believes he can win.
The matchup is intriguing because if anybody can give Usman problems on the feet, it’s Masvidal. The problem for Masvidal is Usman’s elite wrestling offense, which has left most opponents defenceless. Usman’s most desirable asset is his strength, and whilst under the watchful eye of Stanford MMA, he’s also learnt to transition his grappling power into his striking offence.
I would personally love to see Masvidal capture the win this weekend, but it’s hard to ignore how easily Usman controlled him during their first encounter; with that said, I don’t recommend betting the juiced price of -400. I think the durability of both fighters is evident throughout their career, and in this fight, we’ll witness Usman win through the judges scorecard in a repeat performance.
UFC 261 Pick: Kamaru Usman to win by decision at -125 with Bet365 [1.25u returns 1u profit]
UFC 261 Second Pick: Over 3.5 rounds at -200 with William Hill [2u returns 1u profit]
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade
UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship Bout
Saturday, April 24, 2021 – 10:30 PM ET at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
One of the greatest female champions in the UFC strawweight division returns to action this weekend in a title defense where precision and accuracy meets power.
Valentina Shevchenko is a lifelong decorated martial artist, taekwondo during her childhood transitioned to muay thai in her teenage years, and fighting styles began to grow ever since. She does own three losses on her professional record. Still, it is hard to discredit ‘The Bullet’ when she’s been the closest to defeating Amanda Nunes over anyone else in the women’s divisions.
Her opponent, Jessica Andrade, is a complete powerhouse. Born and raised in Brazil, it will be no surprise that she owns a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but her most notable skillset stems from the wrestling offence put on display. A slam knockout against Rose Namajunas still replays in my thoughts today, and this could be her path to victory during the co-main event in Jacksonville.
Ultimately, I cannot envision Shevchenko falling victim to Andrade’s rushing style. The likes of Weili Zhang disabled the aggressive forward pressure and power strikes of Andrade, and I believe the champion can emulate this success.
UFC 261 Pick: Valentina wins by decision at +150 with William Hill [1u returns 1.5u profit]
UFC 261 Second Pick: Over 2.5 rounds at -189 with William Hill [1.89u returns 1u profit
