DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Ahead of UFC 261, Din Thomas previewed the three title fights taking place at Saturday’s event.
Thomas, a former fighter and current coach, recently made his analyst debut at UFC Fight Night 187 last month and will be at the desk for the UFC 261 weigh-ins show on Friday.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Thomas gave his official prediction for the welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal, the strawweight title fight between champion Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas and the women’s flyweight title fight between champion Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade.
“I think Shevchenko is going to have an easy night,” Thomas said. “Easier than the other two title holders. I think Weili has a tough fight, but she pulls it off. I don’t know what Jorge could do differently to really change the outcome of the fight, the full outcome of the fight. I think he could maybe be able to change the dynamic of the fight a little bit because he’s a very crafty, smart, intelligent fighter, and he’ll be able to make some adjustments. It should be a little closer, but I don’t know if Jorge – what he can do to really change the outcome.”
Having previously coached at American Top Team, Thomas is very familiar with Masvidal’s game. Though he highly touts his skills, Thomas is not sure if he can get the job done against Usman but thinks “Gamebred” has already reached the pinnacle of the sport with his superstardom.
“In terms of title hopes, for sure,” Thomas said on this being Masvidal’s last chance. “But he’s a megastar. He’s probably the second or third most important fighter in the game right now, so he’s a megastar, and I think that’s probably more important for him than actually holding a belt. I think just being able to get paid what he feels like he deserves from all the years that he’s put into this game, there’s not many guys that have done what he’s done in his career. I mean he’s had a fantastic career. He hasn’t held a belt, but that may not be in his cards. That’s just the way I see it.”
Thomas also lauded Usman for his current winning streak, where he’s already cleared out the majority of the division with title defenses over Colby Covington, Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.
“To have the run that Usman has had is incredible,” Thomas said. “It’s something that you look at and go ‘Wow, that’s what I strive to achieve.’ His run has been incredible, and he’s getting better. That’s the scary part. He’s able to make adjustments in fights and adapt to different fighters. He’s able to adapt to different fighters and pull them back into his game, and that is a true sign of a champion. Not many people could do that. There’s a handful of people in the world that’s ever done that and he’s been doing it with such dominance that it’s incredible.”
UFC 261 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Din Thomas breaks down UFC 261 title fights, including one ‘easy night’
