Hi, Crotch

Reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman opened at -350 against +285 for fellow UFC 261 headliner Jorge Masvidal, in part because “The Nigerian Nightmare” captured a fairly one-sided victory over “Gamebred” when they first went to war in the UFC 251 main event last July.

What’s changed between then and now?

Masvidal will get a full training camp to battle for the 170-pound belt, as opposed to the six days notice he received when Gilbert Burns was benched with coronavirus and forced to withdraw. Perhaps that will force Usman to abandon the foot stomp in favor of the crotch grab.

The UFC 261 pay-per-view (PPV) card, which also features the title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade, as well as Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas, takes place on April 24 inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, the first event to feature a full, live crowd in over a year.

To see the current UFC 261 fight card and lineup click here.