The UFC welterweight title will be on the line on Saturday night when Kamaru Usman steps into the octagon at UFC 261 for his long-awaited rematch with Jorge Masvidal as a heavy -375 betting favourite on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Usman has dominated the welterweight division since joining the UFC back in 2015, and rides an epic 17-fight overall win streak into Saturday night’s bout at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Usman gained a reputation as a knockout specialist early in his career, with his first five wins coming by TKO on punches. However, the 33-year-old has regularly demonstrated his ability to go the distance since joining the UFC, with nine of his past 13 wins coming by decision.
That includes last summer’s unanimous decision victory over Masvidal at UFC 251 as a -260 favourite at online betting sites, which marked the second of Usman’s three wins since claiming the UFC welterweight crown with a unanimous decision win over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 as a +170 wager.
Idle since last summer’s loss, Masvidal prepares for Saturday night’s rematch as a lengthy +285 underdog. That defeat put the brakes on a three-fight win streak for Masvidal, who remains listed as the No. 4 contender in the UFC welterweight rankings.
The 36-year-old impressed during his recent win streak, tallying a trio of finishes including a record-setting KO win over Ben Askren just five seconds into their UFC 239 clash.
However, Masvidal remains winless in three career fights that have gone a full five rounds.
Two other UFC title belts will be up for grabs on Saturday night. UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang aims to make it 22 wins in a row as she battles former champion Rose Namajunas as -210 chalk.
As well, the UFC women’s flyweight crown will be on the line as reigning champ Valentina Shevchenko faces Jessica Andrade as a massive -450 favourite.
Undefeated since suffering a unanimous decision loss in her professional MMA debut in China back in 2013, Zhang has been idle since defending her title with a narrow split decision win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248, which also earned her a Fight of the Night bonus.
Listed as a +170 wager, Namajunas aims to reclaim the belt she lost to Andrade at UFC 237. Namajunas avenged that defeat with a split decision victory over Andrade at UFC 251.
Andrade saw her brief stint atop the UFC women’s strawweight division come to an end with a first-round TKO loss to Zhang at UFC Fight Night 157, and sports long +325 odds to end Shevchenko’s nearly three-year reign as the UFC women’s flyweight champion.
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