Originally expected to headline UFC 251, Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal is closer to a reality then ever before.
The main event of UFC 251 came to a screeching halt after Gilbert Burns and his two cornermen tested positive for COVID-19.
At this point the UFC went back to negotiating with Jorge Masvidal to have him challenge Kamaru Usman. Apparently these talk went much better then the original ones. Both fighters are currently in Las Vegas, the UFC’s hub city, where fighters are being tested before traveling to Abu Dhabi. The fight will be a go with two negative COVID-19 tests.
Masvidal the BFM champ has stopped Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz in his last three fights. In December Usman defended the welterweight strap for the first time scoring a fifth round stoppage of his Archrival Colby Covington.
UFC 251 is July 11th on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
ESPN+ Main Card
- Welterweight Title Bout: (Champ) Kamaru Usman (16-1) vs. Jorge Masvidal (35-13)
- Featherweight Title Bout: (Champ) Alexander Volkanovski (21-1) vs. Max Holloway (21-5)
- Vacant Bantamweight Title Bout: Petr Yan (14-1) vs. Jose Aldo (28-6)
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Jessica Andrade (20-7) vs. Rose Namajunas (8-4)
- Women’s Flyweight Bout: Paige VanZant (8-4) vs. Amanda Ribas (9-1)
Prelims
- Light-Heavyweight Bout: Volkan Oezdemir (17-4) vs. Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1)
- Welterweight Bout: Elizeu Zaleski (22-6) vs. Muslim Salikhov (16-2)
- Featherweight Bout: Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) vs. Danny Henry (12-3)
- Lightweight Bout: Leonardo Santos (17-3-1) vs. Roman Bogatov (10-0)
Early Prelims
- Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura (18-6) vs. Alexander Romanov (11-0)
- Flyweight Bout: Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-3) vs. Raulian Paiva (19-3)
- Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Vanessa Melo (10-7) vs. Karol Rosa (12-3)
- Bantamweight Bout: Martin Day (9-3) vs. Davey Grant (9-4)
