UFC 251 Fight Island Betting Predictions

With a stacked card on the newly built “Fight Island,” UFC 251 is sure to encapsulate everything great about the UFC in one night. Big names fill the main card. Multiple title belts are up for grabs. UFC Betting odds are tight on many of the biggest fights. This is one of the most exciting nights and best betting opportunities in sports in a while. Check out our free picks on UFC 251 below.

Three Main Events at UFC 251

On a good UFC pay-per-view, you maybe get one title fight and a highly touted bout for the co-main event. For UFC 251 we have three championships on the line. We are going to go in reverse chronological order for our picks on UFC 251, then look at some other betting odds and how to bet on UFC 251.

Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal

Fighter #1				Fighter #2
Kamaru Usman	-300	+20000 (Draw)	+230	Jorge Masvidal
Alexander Volanovski	-250	+20000 (Draw)	+190	Max Holloway
Petr Jan	-250	+20000 (Draw)	+190	Jose Aldo

The last fight of the night at UFC 251 is between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal for the Welterweight Championship. Usman is coming off his first title defence – a fifth-round knockout at UFC 245 – while Masvidal is looking for his fourth consecutive win.

Usman - the sixth-ranked pound-per-pound fight in the UFC overall – is the favourite in this bout. Usman is an apt striker and is difficult to take to the ground. Masvidal’s game thrives more when he can take an opponent down, meaning he will likely need to rely more on strikes if he wants to pull off the upset.

We do not think the upset will happen though. Usman outmatches Masvidal when standing up, and we don’t think Masvidal will land enough blows or successful takedowns against Usman’s stout defence. Take Usman to defend his belt. 

Pick: Kamaru Usman (-300 on SportsInteraction) to Retain the UFC Welterweight Championship

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway

The second title on the line at UFC 251 features a rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway for the Featherweight Championship. These two fighters went five rounds at UFC 245, with Volkanovski winning by unanimous decision.

Volkanovski is undefeated as a UFC fight and not lost a professional MMA match since May 2013. He took home fight of the night honours at UFC 232, a big victory to propel him to his eventual chance at the title belt.

However, Holloway has a chance at the upset at UFC 251. Holloway landed only 23 fewer strikes than Volkanovski (157 to 134) and landed more strikes than Volkanovski in the fourth and fifth rounds (71 to 67). Holloway also successfully defended all takedown attempts by Volkanovski. Holloway also landed more head hits than Volkanovski,

Overall Holloway’s performance in the last fight makes him an attractive underdog, worth taking to pull off the upset.   

Pick: Max Holloway (+190 on Bodog) to Win the Featherweight Championship

Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo

The first title fight of the night is between Petr Yan and Jose Aldo for the vacant Bantamweight. Petr Yan comes in as the favourite against former Featherweight Champion.

Yan enters the fight undefeated in the UFC with impressive wins coming at UFC 238 and UFC 245. The Russian star blends a dangerous mixture of striking and takedowns in his game that makes him a tough opponent for anyone – even a veteran like Jose Aldo.

And while Aldo is a veteran, the last few years of his career have not been terribly successful. Aldo has lost four of his last six fights, including his debut in the bantamweight class at UFC 245 against Marlon Moraes.

If Aldo had won his last fight, you could lean towards betting the underdog. However, in this fight, it is better to take the guy who has one loss since 2013 (and undefeated in his UFC career), not the guy who has more losses than wins since 2015 (dating back to the infamous 13-second knockout of Aldo by Conor MacGregor at UFC 194).

Pick: Petr Yan (-250 on BetWarrior) to Win the Bantamweight Championship

Best Prop Bet at UFC 251

Not every MMA prop betting line on UFC 251 is open for betting quite yet. However, from the ones that are currently available, we have pinpointed one especially spicy prop bet on the fight between Usman and Masvidal.

Total Rounds			Total Rounds
Over 4.5	-185	+145	Under 4.5

The odds on under 4.5 rounds is offering some great value to bettors. Usman has half his MMA wins by TKO or submission, so we expect to see him turn up again on Fight Island.

While Welterweight title fights often go the distance, it is not too often you get this much value betting that it will not last 4.5 rounds, especially in a fight with two fighters with good knockout power and the ability to submit their opponent. Go with the under on this UFC 251 prop.

Pick: Under 4.5 Rounds Usman v. Masvidal (+185)

Best Sites to Bet on UFC 251

Find the best online sportsbooks in Canada to bet on UFC 251 below. They are offering great welcome bonuses to new users who sign up through the links underneath. You can use the bonus to bet on any of the exciting fights at UFC 251.

Category : Sports Blog

More articles...