UFC 261: Usman vs Masvidal betting picks & odds – 24/4/2021

Having lost to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 as a short-notice replacement for Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal is hoping to produce a much better performance in the UFC 261 main event this Saturday in Jacksonville now that he has had a full camp to train for this fight. Here is BettingPlanet’s full preview of the Usman vs Masvidal fight, with odds courtesy of the top UFC bookmakers for gamblers in United States.

Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal betting preview

Kamaru Usman (18-1-0) is ranked as the no.2 pound-for-pound fighter in all of mixed martial arts behind only Jon Jones. The dominant welterweight is a perfect 17-0 over his last 17 fights, including a 12-0 record in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2015. Usman defeated Tyron Woodley for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 235 in 2019 and has successfully defended his title three times with wins over Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns. This rematch against Masvidal is a testament to how thoroughly he’s dominated the division; this was the only fight worth making despite the convincing result last time.

Jorge Masvidal (35-14-0) was one of the promotion’s hottest fighters when he stepped in for Burns at UFC 251. Masvidal was on a three-fight winning streak that included an impressive knockout win over Darren Till, the fastest knockout in UFC history with a flying knee against Ben Askren, and a technical knockout win over Nate Diaz for the symbolic ‘BMF’ championship. With less than a week to prepare for his last title bout against Usman, Masvidal was not in his usual fight shape. This time around he won’t have that issue.

UFC 261: Usman vs Masvidal fight predictions

Jorge Masvidal’s incredible knockout over Ben Askren was a great indicator of how dangerous and versatile of a striker he is. Each of his last five wins have come by way of knockout, and a fighter with his power and creativity is always one clean shot away from an upset victory. With the proper conditioning and time to prepare for Kamaru Usman, it’s entirely possible that we see a much more competitive effort from Masvidal in this rematch.

But it’s also worth pointing out that Usman didn’t have any time to prepare for Masvidal as his opponent last time, either. And while it’s clear that Masvidal has taken some major strides forward in his MMA game since losing two straight fights back in 2017 before his recent hot streak, it’s doubtful that he’s elevated to the level of an elite fighter like Kamaru Usman, who has dominated every challenge placed before him. This fight might be a bit more fun to watch than the first one, but in the end the result will be the same.