UFC 251 Odds - Betting Three Title Fights in One Night

Welterweight titleholder Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (16-1, 7 KOs, 1 SUB) will defend his title blockbuster scrap against Jorge Masvidal (35-13, 16 KOs, 2 SUBs) at UFC 251 on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The main event headlines a monster card that features a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway and a bantamweight title match between Petyr Yan and Jose Aldo. The pay-per-view main card (five fights) starts at 10pm. Catch the prelims on ESPN, ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. Let’s examine how to bet all the championship fights on a loaded card at our top-rated online sportsbooks.

The Main Event 

Kamaru Usman -253 vs. Jorge Masvidal +195

Fight goes / doesn’t go to decision: +140 / -180

The Breakdown 

Usman has won 14 straight fights, a run which includes all 11 of his UFC appearances and wins over Leon Edwards, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington. While he’s only defended his title once, his climb to the top of a loaded division still doesn’t really get the recognition it deserves - this is the best welterweight on the planet right now. 

Let’s not act like Masvidal was the guy we wanted to see in the first place - he’s one of the sport’s biggest stars and has maybe the coolest origin story ever. After 18 years, Mas might reach the sport’s pinnacle. He just has to do so on a week’s notice in a bad style matchup. 

Though Masvidal reportedly never stopped training, is he in fight camp shape? Even if he is, does he have an answer for Usman’s power wrestling? If Demian Maia was able to drag Mas to the ground, Usman should be able to do the same. 

UFC Odds Picks

Usman at -286 isn’t cheap, but it’s the correct play: he’s just too big and powerful for Masvidal. We’d definitely keep an eye on the live UFC betting odds. If Masvidal can stuff takedowns early and force a kickboxing match, you should hammer his money line. 

Co-Main Event, Featherweight Championship

Alexander Volkanovski -250 vs. Max Holloway +194

Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -215 / +165

Over/under 4.5 rounds: -238 / +182

The Breakdown 

Volkanovski entered their first matchup as a +180 underdog, but pulled off the upset with a stellar performance against a fighter who hadn’t lost in 14 straight featherweight matches. The Aussie was so convincing that he opened as a -220 favorite for the rematch. 

Obviously, the top online sportsbooks for UFC betting feel that the Volkanovski’s performance was so convincing that Holloway has little chance of recapturing the belt. It’s easy to feel the same way, especially since Volkanovski figured out how to disrupt the Hawaiian’s offense. Blessed wins with pressure, pace and volume. Volkanovski stopped him in his tracks with power counters and was quick enough to circle out of danger. 

The big question: can Holloway make the proper adjustments? He is a championship level fighter, and to be honest he would dominate more of the featherweights that Volkanovski would. This might just be a case where a fighter has another fighter’s number. 

UFC Odds Pick

We don’t want to doubt Holloway - he has a much better chance of winning than the odds suggest. Instead, we’d go with the prop that the fight goes to decision. The first fight went five rounds, and neither has been finished since the early 2010s. 

Bantamweight Title

Jose Aldo +183 vs. Petyr Yan -235

Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -215 / +165

The Breakdown

It’s fair to question whether Aldo even deserves a title shot over somebody like Aljamain Sterling - especially since he’s coming off two losses. On top of that, the Brazilian is just 2-4 in his past six. But he’s still capable of fighting at a high level, as wins over Lil ‘Heathen and Moicano proved. Aldo might have gotten this based on his name, but he’s not gonna be an easy out. 

Yan has only been in the UFC for a few years, but he’s won all five of his fights inside the UFC and has emerged as an undeniable title contender. The 27-year old looks like a cold-blooded Russian killer. He stalks forward, traps his opponents and launches bone-crunching boxing combinations. This kid is nasty, and if you watched his last fight you had to question why Urijah Faber was in there with him in the first place.

UFC Odds Pick

Go big on Yan. Aldo might make this interesting for a couple rounds, but the Brazilian is not built to hold up here. The truth of the matter is that Yan is ascending while Aldo is on the decline, and the Russian is too young, too fast and too mean for the Brazilian to handle. Yan’s money line isn’t cheap, but he’s pretty much a sure thing.