Kamaru Usman opens as 3-1 favorite in UFC 251 title defense vs. Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal’s first crack at a UFC title Saturday will come with fairly sizable odds against him.

Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) has stepped up on less than a week’s notice and will challenge welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) for the title in the UFC 251 main event at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Masvidal, widely believed to be the top contender a few months ago, was on the outside looking in when Gilbert Burns was given the shot. But when Burns tested positive for COVID-19, he was removed.

That opened the door for Masvidal to save the main event – but he’ll do so with Usman as a prohibitive favorite.

According to Best Fight Odds, Usman has opened at as much as a -320 favorite against Masvidal. That means a bettor would have to wager $320 to make $100 on an Usman win. Masvidal, with +240 underdog odds, would pay $240 on a $100 bet.

There are some variances at the sportsbooks. Sportsbook.com, for example, has Usman at -260, and Bovada has him at -300.

Usman has been the favorite in all his UFC fights except one: his UFC 235 title fight against then-champ Tyron Woodley. In that fight, he was as much as a +175 underdog, but dominated Woodley to win the belt in March 2019.

Masvidal may be used to the underdog role. It was a regular thing for him. But after his upset knockout wins over Darren Till and Ben Askren in 2019, he was favored against Nate Diaz this past November in their “BMF” championship fight, which he won by TKO.