Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal make weight for UFC 251 welterweight showdown – ESPN

A welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal was the July gigantic-point to predominant tournament that the UFC wished all alongside. It took reasonably a meandering path to gain there, but now the blockbuster matchup is finally legitimate.

Usman and Masvidal both weighed in efficiently at 170 pounds on Friday in Abu Dhabi. The two will meet in the UFC 251 headliner Saturday on Yas Island, which has been dubbed “Fight Island” for a monthlong slate of UFC events.

The fight came together handiest in the past seven days. Gilbert Burns, who was Usman’s scheduled opponent, examined certain for COVID-19 on July 3, true hours sooner than the UFC charter was state to hotfoot away Las Vegas for Abu Dhabi. Over the weekend, the UFC was succesful of return to phrases with Masvidal, who balked on the promotion’s preliminary offer for the fight two months ago.

Usman is tied with middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya for sixth on ESPN’s top pound-for-pound MMA fighter checklist. Masvidal is No. 2 at welterweight, true beneath Usman.

Usman (16-1) has never lost in the UFC — a trudge of 11 straight victories — and has now not lost since his 2d expert fight in 2011. The 33-yr-worn Nigerian, who resides in Florida, closing fought at UFC 245 in December — a fifth-round TKO over Colby Covington in what is the latest UFC title-fight enact ever. That was Usman’s first title defense.

Masvidal (35-13) has gained three straight, all by knockout or TKO. He has 48 expert fights, the 2d most reasonable possible entire ever for any person making a UFC title fight debut. The 35-yr-worn Miami native stopped Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz internal an eight-month span closing yr, making him one in every of the most well liked warring parties on the UFC roster.

The 5-2d KO of Askren was the quickest in UFC historic past.

The diverse two title fights on the UFC 251 card are also legitimate.

The co-predominant tournament pits featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in opposition to historic champ Max Holloway. Both warring parties made weight at 145 pounds. Volkanovski (21-1) beat Holloway (21-5) to protect the title at UFC 245 in December.

Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Petr Yan will sq. off for the bantamweight title left vacant by the retired Henry Cejudo. Aldo, in true his 2d occupation fight at bantamweight, weighed 135 pounds, the identical as his opponent. Aldo (28-6) is on a two-fight losing trudge but is conception of as one in every of primarily most possible the greatest pound-for-pound warring parties ever. Yan (14-1) is 6-0 in the UFC.

Raulian Paiva neglected weight, coming in at 129 pounds for his flyweight fight in opposition to Zhalgas Zhumagulov, who made weight at 126 pounds. An legitimate dedication concerning that fight has yet to be made.

Vanessa Melo also neglected weight, coming in at 141 pounds for her bantamweight fight. Her opponent, Karol Rosa, efficiently made weight.