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Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal will officially head UFC 251
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UFC 251 has a new main event. After overcoming many logistical hurdles over the weekend, Jorge Masvidal will step in less than a week in advance to face welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning (Saturday night in the United States). Both sides agreed to the terms of the deal on Sunday and were flown to Las Vegas for their initial COVID-19 test. Both approved and are expected to board private jets to Yas Island on Monday, according to Ariel Helwani.
Masvidal will get the main event venue that many thought he deserved in the first place. With 48 fights in his career, Masvidal would be the fighter with the most appearances in MMA before receiving his first title shot.
Shortly after the news of the deal, UFC President Dana White posted an exaggerated video on Twitter that apparently confirmed that he was able to secure the highly successful new main event.
The inaugural Fight Island card saw its original headliner crumble on Saturday when main contender Gilbert Burns pulled out of a Usman title shot after testing positive for COVID-19. Masvidal, the ceremonial BMF champion, was the opponent that the UFC originally targeted Usman before the negotiations closed and Masvidal began a public outcry over the payment of the fighters.
Masvidal (35-13) spent his July 4 vacation undergoing the first of what would be multiple coronavirus tests while negotiating the fight, according to photos posted on social media by his manager, Malki Kawa. The 35-year-old fighter rose from officer status in 2019 with a trio of stoppage wins that earned him world fame and fighter of the year honors.
Among the main obstacles facing the proposed fight are the logistics of how the fighters would safely arrive in the United Arab Emirates amid quarantine protocols in a last-minute scenario. Usman (16-1) did not board a chartered UFC flight carrying fighters, coaches, media, and promotional staff upon hearing the news that Burns (19-3) was retiring.
In the event that the fight doesn’t take place, featherweight champion Alexaner Volkanovski’s original co-main event pitting former starter Max Holloway in a rematch would take home the best bill. The card also includes a vacant bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan and former featherweight king Jose Aldo.
Usman-Masvidal was the fight that initially made the most sense for the division and the one that fans preferred the most. It also offers potential dramatic contrast in styles with Masvidal’s explosive punch against Usman’s stifling fight.
Masvidal originally claimed that he was offered half of what he earned last November by defeating Nate Díaz and rejected the fight. Reports emerged that after his explosion on social media, he was offered the Usman fight again in the full bag he made against Díaz and rejected him a second time.
Red hot Burns managed to beat Leon Edwards in the rankings and accepted the opportunity thanks in large part to his streak of six straight wins and recent victories over Demian Maia and former champion Tyron Woodley. Burns also received public criticism from Masvidal and Díaz, who accused him of only fighting because he was willing to take little money.
