UFC 261 main card predictions & betting odds – April 24, 2021

There are plenty of reasons for fight fans to be excited about UFC 261 this Saturday night. In addition to the three title fights, this event will also be special as it will take place in front of a live audience in Jacksonville, Florida. The UFC has produced some compelling cards in recent months, but getting the energy of a live crowd back in the arena will elevate the spectacle even more.

UFC 261 championship fights

Saturday’s fight card is highlighted by three championship title defenses. Kamaru Usman will be looking for defend his UFC Welterweight Championship title for the fifth time, and Valentina Shevchenko will also be going for five straight defenses of the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship crown. Check out our in-depth breakdowns of each of these fights below:

• Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal
• Zhang Weili vs Rose Namajunas
• Valentina Shevchenko vs Jéssica Andrade

Middleweight: Chris Weidman (-130) vs Uriah Hall (+110)

Chris Weidman (15-5-0) snapped out of a 1-5 slump with a decision win over Omari Akhmedov in August. Weidman was 13-0-0 before hitting that five-year skid; that run included winning the UFC Middleweight Championship from Anderson Silva and successfully defending that title three times, and defeating Uriah Hall for the Ring of Combat Middleweight Championship all the way back in 2010.

Hall (16-9-0) has gone 4-1 over his last five fights with a current winning streak of three straight. He most recently earned a technical knockout win over Anderson Silva in October. Six of Hall’s last seven wins have all been by way of knockout.

Weidman is a fantastic wrestler that could easily win this fight if he can get it to the ground and maintain control. But considering his issues with stamina and his chin (with all five of his recent losses coming by knockout), we’ll take our chances on Hall at underdog odds.

Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (-200) vs Anthony Smith (+170)

Jimmy Crute (12-1-0) is a rising star in the UFC Light Heavyweight division. At just 25 years old, he has already compiled a 12-1 record as a professional and a 4-1 record in the UFC, earning two of his wins in the promotion by knockout and two by submission.

Anthony Smith (34-16-0) put together an impressive stretch in which he went 14-2 from 2014 through 2018, including a 6-1 run in the UFC that earned him a title shot against Jon Jones. Jones won that fight convincingly, and Smith is just 2-2 since. Smith is still only 32 years old, but there’s a lot of tread on his tires with 50 professional fights under his belt. Nothing in his recent form has shown us he’s in position to upset the rising Crute in this spot.