Usman was initially booked to face Gilbert Burns, but Burns was forced from the card after he tested positive for COVID-19 before he traveled to Abu Dhabi for the event.
Masvidal agreed to step in to the title fight on six days’ notice. He had been looking forward to facing Usman since he defeated Nate Diaz in November to capture the BMF title.
Usman won the welterweight crown in March 2019 with a decision win over Tyron Woodley. His first and only defense of the title came in December when he scored a fifth-round TKO win over Colby Covington.
Usman was on his way back to his home in Florida when he found out that Masvidal agreed to the fight.
Usman’s UFC record is 11-0. He is 16-1 in his career. Masvidal is 12-6 in the UFC and 35-13 in his career.
How To Watch Or Live Stream UFC 251
UFC 251 takes place tonight at Fight Island on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The pay-per-view card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
UFC 251 Pay-Per-View Card (ESPN+):
Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway
Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
UFC 251 Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+):
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Danny Henry
Leonardo Santos vs. Roman Bogatov
UFC 251 Early Prelims (ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass):
Raulian Paiva vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Karol Rosa vs. Vanessa Melo
Davey Grant vs. Martin Day
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