FIGHT OF THE MONTH - UFC 251 MAIN EVENT - TOTAL ROUNDS
I think we'll see an evenly contested fight, likely to go the distance, when Kamaru Usman clashes with Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 251 Fight Island main event on Saturday.
Usman is a perfect 11-0 in the UFC and the reigning Welterweight division champion. He is a well-rounded fighter who is riding a 15-fight win streak and won his last fight by TKO in the 5th round when he defended his title against Colby Covington back in December of 2019.
As for Jorge Masividal, he owns an MMA record of 35-13, 12-6 in the UFC. He has won three straight fights and defeated Nate Diaz by TKO in November of 2019 in his last fight.
While Masvidal is coming in on short notice as a replacement for Gilbert Burns who tested positive for COVID-19, keep in mind that Usman will also need to adjust his gameplan.
Additionally, this is a fight Masvidal has been looking forward to for a long time and he has reportedly never stopped preparing for a potential scrap opposite Usman.
"It’s short notice, because he didn’t have the contract signed, but let me tell you what: This guy was there my whole training camp," Dustin Poirier said on "THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas." "He was my main sparring partner. We probably put in five weeks of sparring together. He flew in wrestlers, the best wrestlers in the world."
I think the bookmakers have juiced up the moneyline on Usman too much because of the short notice change, but he is undoubtedly the better fighter. That being said, while Usman is likely to dictate the fight, he will most likely find it tough to break through Masvidal's excellent defense, and I like the over in this bout.
10* play on OVER 4.5 (you'll find Over 3.5 at about -115 at some books which also is a good bet).
