UFC 251 took place this weekend in the United Arab Emirates, featuring a welterweight title fight as the main attraction. The champion, Kamaru Usman, defended his belt against Jorge Masvidal, who accepted the bout on short notice after Gilbert Burns was sidelined due to a positive coronavirus test. Masvidal had become a formidable title contender following a highly successful 18-month run leading up to the event.
Usman successfully retained his welterweight title at UFC 251 via a clear unanimous decision. He controlled the pace of the fight from start to finish, outclassing Masvidal tactically. The judges' cards read 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 in Usman's favor. This victory follows a press conference where Usman vowed to dismantle Masvidal psychologically. With this win, Usman has now secured 12 consecutive victories in the UFC, matching the impressive streak of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The co-main event saw featherweight champion Volkanovski face off against Max Holloway in a grueling, back-and-forth contest. For the first half of the fight, the American held the advantage, but Volkanovski shifted the momentum in the fourth and fifth rounds with a series of takedowns. This allowed the Australian to secure a split-decision victory, marking his second win over the former champ, Holloway.
In other matchups, Makwan Amirkhani secured a quick first-round win over Danny Henry using an anaconda choke. Petr Yan claimed the vacant bantamweight championship by defeating Jose Aldo via TKO. Jiri Prochazka delivered a stunning knockout victory against Volkan Oezdemir, while Tybura outpointed Grishin for a unanimous decision win. Additionally, Salikhov emerged victorious against Zaleski in a split-decision welterweight bout.
In the women's strawweight division, Rose Namajunas reclaimed her title with a split-decision victory over Jessica Andrade, avenging her loss from fourteen months prior in Brazil. Meanwhile, in the flyweight division, Amanda Ribas won her fight against Paige VanZant by submission. During the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White praised Usman's dominant performance and hinted at what's next for the champion, stating that Usman is expected to defend his title against Gilbert Burns in the near future.