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Kamaru Usman opens as 3-1 favorite in UFC 251 title defense vs. Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal’s first crack at a UFC title Saturday will come with fairly sizable odds against him.

Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) has stepped up on less than a week’s notice and will challenge welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) for the title in the UFC 251 main event at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Masvidal, widely believed to be the top contender a few months ago, was on the outside looking in when Gilbert Burns was given the shot. But when Burns tested positive for COVID-19, he was removed.

That opened the door for Masvidal to save the main event – but he’ll do so with Usman as a prohibitive favorite.

According to Best Fight Odds, Usman has opened at as much as a -320 favorite against Masvidal. That means a bettor would have to wager $320 to make $100 on an Usman win. Masvidal, with +240 underdog odds, would pay $240 on a $100 bet.

There are some variances at the sportsbooks. Sportsbook.com, for example, has Usman at -260, and Bovada has him at -300.

Usman has been the favorite in all his UFC fights except one: his UFC 235 title fight against then-champ Tyron Woodley. In that fight, he was as much as a +175 underdog, but dominated Woodley to win the belt in March 2019.

Masvidal may be used to the underdog role. It was a regular thing for him. But after his upset knockout wins over Darren Till and Ben Askren in 2019, he was favored against Nate Diaz this past November in their “BMF” championship fight, which he won by TKO.

MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month for April: One former UFC champ makes another tap for the first time

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from April 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for April. At the bottom of the post, let us know...

Paul Hughes explains choosing PFL over UFC offer: ‘I deserve to get compensated’

Fighters are often criticized for failing to prioritize their financial interests in their MMA careers, but no such accusation can be made toward Irish prospect Paul Hughes. Hughes (11-1), a former Cage Warriors champion, just went through the process of free agency and had bids on the table from...

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