UFC is set to return with the UFC 261 with three title fights expected to hold on April 24th at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States.
It is expected to be the first UFC event to hold in front of fans since the pandemic caused fights to be held without fans in attendance.
Our expert tipster analysed all three of the title fights on show at the UFC 261 event, and here are the analyses of the fights.
KAMARU USMAN VS JORGE MASVIDAL 2
Usman comes into the fight on the back of 13 consecutive UFC wins, including one over Masvidal at UFC 251.
Masvidal was disgruntled by the fact that he was drafted in to fight Usman with a very short notice, and he feels that hampered his preparation and made it possible for Usman to win the bout.
He has promised to leave it all in the Octagon when he faces the Nigerian Nightmare for the Welterweight title. Usman is clearly a stronger fighter and has a 18-1-0 record in the UFC, Masvidal is not far behind physically and has a 35-14-0 UFC record.
Our tipster has given Usman 1.19 odds, showing him as a clear favourite to defend his title as he looks to win a 14th consecutive fight. Masvidal is on 4.30 odds to win, as he is something of an underdog in the fight, but the UFC has taught us that the underdog can never be written off in any fight.
ZHANG VS NAMAJUNAS
An interesting match up in the women’s strawweight category pits China’s Zhang Weili against America’s Rose Namajunas for the UFC women’s strawweight title.
Zhang is currently champion of the division and must be chock full of confidence as she comes into the fight on the back of a 20 fight winning streak.
Namajunas made some snide comments referring to Zhang’s home country, China, but Zhang decided to ignore her and instead focus on the fight.
Zhang has a 21-1-0 record in the UFC, as Namajunas has a 10-4-0 record of her own. Zhang is the favourite to pick for this fight after 1.45 odds were given in her favour. A Namajunas win is tipped at 2.60 odds.
SHEVCHENKO VS ANDRADE
The third title fight and co-main event of the UFC is between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade. Both women step into the Octagon with the same goal of winning the fight.
Shevchenko is currently the women’s flyweight division champion, and has successfully defended her title four times in a row.
She faces Andrade looking to make it five successful title defenses in UFC’s flyweight division. She has a record of 20-3-0 in the UFC, and her opponent has a 21-8-0 record in the division.
Shevchenko remains the favourite to win the bout and is placed on 1.19 odds . Brazil’s Andrade will be looking to take charge of any mistakes from the Champion and try to win the title from the Kazakhstani Shevchenko.
She is on 4.30 odds to win the fight.
If you are interested in betting on MMA, then it is great for you to follow these tips and bet wisely.
