UFC 251 Predictions: Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman will fight at the main event of the Yas Island UFC 251 PPV on Saturday. The championship clash became official after both combatants made weight on Friday morning. Both fighters have traded barbs all week long since the rumors of ‘Gamebred’ being the replacement began swirling. 

Usman has promised to become his moniker of ‘The Nigerian Nightmare.’ He says he doesn’t see faces and vowed to discipline whoever stands across him. The BMF Champion on the other hand has promised to baptize his opponent and send him to another planet. This seems tough as, on paper, Masvidal has a huge task if he is to become a champ-champ.

Kamaru Usman

The Welterweight Champion is on a 15-fight win streak with his last defeat coming in May 2013 with the CFA promotion. The fighter joined the UFC on the back of his TUF 21 victory and has gone on to win his next 11 fights with the company. The last 2 are of notice as he managed to capture the belt and become the champion of the division. Later he defended the belt for only his 3rd finish in the UFC. 

This is a clear sign that Usman is one to take his fights the distance and wear his opponent down. Furthermore, all decision wins have been unanimous which goes to show that there haven’t been any doubts in the minds of the judges. 

Some may argue that the tide is against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare.’ This is because he based all his preparations around Gilbert Burns. However, he trained ‘Durinho’ for his last fight against Tyron Woodley. Here fans got a glimpse of the striking game which he no doubt would be expecting. This is a similar type of offense one can expect from Masvidal too, who like his last 2 fights will attempt to kick off with a flying knee. 

Jorge Masvidal

Masvidal is a seasoned campaigner with 31 more professional fights than his opponent under his belt. Out of 48 total fights, only  4 have ended via submission. This could be a major issue with Usman looking to use his wrestling to take Masvidal to the ground and drain him. The BMF Champion has gone the distance just twice in his career in 5 round matches. Both of those ended in defeat. He will no doubt have conditioned himself to go 25, but the champion will be a whole different proposition.

‘Gamebred’ will look to use his strikes to finish the fight early. This has been his gameplan since returning following a year’s hiatus. In 2019, he claimed 3 stoppage wins including a jaw-dropping 5-second KO. 6 of his last 7 wins have come via TKO and KO.

Despite accepting the fight at short notice, he is primed and ready. Earlier his coach revealed that he mirrored Dan Hooker to help Dustin Poirier train for his UFC on ESPN 12 main event. 

UFC 251 Prediction

If Masvidal wins, it will have to be early. He has to ensure that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ doesn’t settle into the contest. The Champion will be aware of the threat and could look to avoid or swiftly counter any speedy opening salvo. In going for a flying knee, Masvidal could find himself pinned to the canvas in mere seconds. However, he has the knowledge that he just needs to land one “super necessary” shot before piling on the pressure.

‘Gamebred’ can back his power at UFC 251, but if the fight goes deep it may be problematic. And based on Usman promising to ragdoll the challenger it seems as though the striking game played versus Colby Covington may not be used on Fight Island PPV event.

Winner: Kamaru Usman will retain in 5 rounds