UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal II Full Card Preview
Three! That’s right, three title fights are on tap for UFC 261 on Saturday, April 24, in front of fans for the first time in the United States since the pandemic began at the Jacksonville Arena. Highlighting the card is the welterweight championship fight between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal, a rematch of UFC 251’s main event.
Additionally, Rose Namajunas challenges China’s Zhang Weili for the women’s strawweight title and Jessica Andrade tries to dethrone Valentina Schevchenko for the women’s flyweight belt.
Check back in on Saturday for Question Mark Kicks, live on Youtube two hours before the card (prelims are set for 6 p.m. ET) begins. Also, watch the fights with Matt and Craig with the Fight Companion, which will go live for the main card at 10 p.m. ET.
Women’s Strawweight
Ariane Carnelossi (-205)
Record: 12-2 (0-1 UFC) | Age: 28
Height: 5-2 | Reach: 61.5″
Wins: 8 KO, 1 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 1 SUB
Recent fights: L to Angela Hill (R3 doctor stoppage); def. Ketlen Souza (R3 KO); def. Joice Mara (split dec.)
Na Liang (+168)
Record: 15-4 (UFC debut) | Age: 24
Height: 5-9 | Reach: 67″
Wins: 4 KO, 9 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 2 SUB
Recent fights: def. Mengnan Liu (R1 armbar); def. Xiaocan Feng (R1 armbar); def. Asia Klyutova (R1 TKO)
Flyweight
Jeff Molina (-110)
Record: 8-2 (UFC debut) | Age: 23
Height: 5-6 | Reach: 69″
Wins: 2 KO, 5 SUB | Losses: 1 SUB
Recent fights: def. Jacob Silva (un. dec.); def. Kenny Porter (R2 triangle); def. Chancey Wilson (R1 RNC)
Aoriqileng (-112)
Record: 18-6 (UFC debut) | Age: 27
Height: 5-7 | Reach: 69″
Wins: 6 KO, 1 SUB | Losses: 3 SUB
Recent fights: def. Khizri Abdulaev (R2 TKO); def. Amirlan Amirov (un. dec.); def. Giorgi Borashvili (R2 retirement)
Lightweight
Rongzhu (-254)
Record: 17-3 (UFC debut) | Age: 21
Height: 5-11 | Reach: 72″
Wins: 11 KO, 4 SUB | Losses: 3 SUB
Recent fights: def. Bideliya (R3 TKO); def. Yilan Sha (R1 TKO); def. Jiaqiang Han (R1 triangle)
Kazula Vargas (+203)
Record: 11-4 (0-2 UFC) | Age: 35
Height: 5-8 | Reach: 71.5″
Wins: 7 KO, 3 SUB | Losses: 1 SUB
Recent fights: L to Brok Weaver (R1 illegal knee); L to Alex da Silva (un. dec.); def. Mike De La Torre (R1 KO)
Bantamweight
Danaa Batgerel (-184)
Record: 8-2 (1-1 UFC) | Age: 31
Height: 5-7 | Reach: 70″
Wins: 4 KO, 2 SUB | Losses: 2 DEC
Recent fights: def. Guido Cannetti (R1 KO); L to Heili Alateng (un. dec.); def. Haitao Ti (R1 RNC)
Kevin Natividad (+151)
Record: 9-2 (0-1 UFC) | Age: 28
Height: 5-6 | Reach: 70″
Wins: 5 KO, 1 SUB | Losses: 2 KO
Recent fights: L to Miles Johns (R3 KO); def. Kyle Estrada (R2 TKO); def. Andy Perez (split dec.)
Featherweight
Tristan Connelly (+184)
Record: 14-6 (1-0 UFC) | Age: 35
Height: 5-10 | Reach: 68″
Wins: 4 KO, 9 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 1 SUB
Recent fights: def. Michel Pereira (un. dec.); def. D’Juan Owens (R5 TKO); def. Zach Juusola (R1 guillotine)
Pat Sabatini (-229)
Record: 13-3 (UFC debut) | Age: 30
Height: 5-8 | Reach: 70″
Wins: 1 KO, 10 SUB | Losses: 1 KO
Recent fights: def. Jesse Stirn (R2 armbar); def. Jordan Titoni (R1 TKO); L to James Gonzalez (R1 injury)
Middleweight
Brendan Allen (-152)
Record: 15-4 (3-1 UFC) | Age: 25
Height: 6-2 | Reach: 75″
Wins: 5 KO, 8 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 1 SUB
Recent fights: L to Sean Strickland (R2 TKO); def. Kyle Daukaus (un. dec.); def. Tom Breese (R1 TKO)
Karl Roberson (+125)
Record: 9-3 (4-3 UFC) | Age: 30
Height: 6-1 | Reach: 74″
Wins: 2 KO, 4 SUB | Losses: 3 SUB
Recent fights: L to Marvin Vettori (R1 RNC); def. Roman Kopylov (R3 RNC); def. Wellington Turman (split dec.)
Welterweight
Dwight Grant (-230)
Record: 10-3 (2-2 UFC) | Age: 36
Height: 6-1 | Reach: 76.5″
Wins: 7 KO | Losses: 1 KO
Recent fights: L to Daniel Rodriguez (R1 TKO); def. Alan Jouban (split dec.); def. Carlo Pedersoli (R1 KO)
Stefan Sekulic (+183)
Record: 12-3 (0-1 UFC) | Age: 29
Height: 6-0 | Reach: 75.5″
Wins: 3 KO, 6 SUB | Losses: 2 KO
Recent fights: L to Ramazan Emeev (un. dec.); def. Givago Francisco (R1 guillotine); def. Ivica Truscek (R2 guillotine)
Welterweight
Randy Brown (-158)
Record: 12-4 (6-4 UFC) | Age: 30
Height: 6-3 | Reach: 78″
Wins: 6 KO, 4 SUB | Losses: 2 KO, 1 SUB
Recent fights: L to Vicente Luque (R2 TKO); def. Warlley Alves (R2 triangle); def. Bryan Barberena (R3 TKO)
Alex Oliveira (+130)
Record: 22-9-1, 2 NC (11-7, 1 NC UFC) | Age: 33
Height: 5-11 | Reach: 76.5″
Wins: 12 KO, 5 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 5 SUB
Recent fights: L to Shavkat Rakhmonov (R1 guillotine); def. Peter Sobotta (un. dec.); def. Max Griffin (split dec.)
Light Heavyweight
Anthony Smith (+163)
Record: 34-16 (9-5 UFC) | Age: 32
Height: 6-4 | Reach: 76″
Wins: 17 KO, 14 SUB | Losses: 8 KO, 5 SUB
Recent fights: def. Devin Clark (R1 triangle); L to Aleksandar Rakic (un. dec.); L to Glover Teixeira (R5 TKO)
Jimmy Crute (-198)
Record: 12-1 (4-1 UFC) | Age: 25
Height: 6-2 | Reach: 72″
Wins: 5 KO, 4 SUB | Losses: 1 SUB
Recent fights: def. Modestas Bukauskas (R1 TKO); def. Michal Oleksiejczuk (R1 kimura); L to Misha Cirkunov (R1 Peruvian necktie)
Middleweight
Chris Weidman (-122)
Record: 15-5 (11-5 UFC) | Age: 36
Height: 6-2 | Reach: 78″
Wins: 6 KO, 4 SUB | Losses: 5 KO
Recent fights: def. Omari Akhmedov (un. dec.); L to Dominick Reyes (R1 TKO); L to Ronaldo Souza (R3 TKO)
Uriah Hall (+100)
Record: 16-9 (9-7 UFC) | Age: 36
Height: 6-0 | Reach: 79.5″
Wins: 11 KO, 2 SUB | Losses: 4 KO
Recent fights: def. Anderson Silva (R4 TKO); def. Antonio Carlos Junior (split dec.); def. Bevon Lewis (R3 KO)
Women’s Flyweight Championship
Valentina Schevchenko (-427)
Record: 20-3 (9-2 UFC) | Age: 33
Height: 5-5 | Reach: 65.5″
Wins: 6 KO, 7 SUB | Losses: 1 KO
Recent fights: def. Jennifer Maia (un. dec.); def. Katlyn Chookagian (R3 TKO); def. Liz Carmouche (un. dec.)
Jessica Andrade (+319)
Record: 21-8 (12-6 UFC) | Age: 29
Height: 5-1 | Reach: 62″
Wins: 8 KO, 7 SUB | Losses: 3 KO, 2 SUB
Recent fights: def. Katlyn Chookagian (R1 KO); L to Rose Namajunas (split dec.); L to Weili Zhang (R1 TKO)
Women’s Strawweight Championship
Zhang Weili (-206)
Record: 21-1 (5-0 UFC) | Age: 31
Height: 5-4 | Reach: 63″
Wins: 10 KO, 7 SUB | Losses: 1 DEC
Recent fights: def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (split dec.); def. Jessica Andrade (R1 TKO); def. Tecia Torres (un. dec.)
Rose Namajunas (+167)
Record: 9-4 (7-3 UFC) | Age: 28
Height: 5-5 | Reach: 65″
Wins: 1 KO, 5 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 1 SUB
Recent fights: def. Jessica Andrade (split dec.); L to Jessica Andrade (R2 KO); def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (un. dec.)
Welterweight Championship
Kamaru Usman (-416)
Record: 18-1 (13-0 UFC) | Age: 33
Height: 6-0 | Reach: 77.5″
Wins: 8 KO, 1 SUB | Losses: 1 SUB
Recent fights: def. Gilbert Burns (R3 TKO); def. Jorge Masvidal (un. dec.); def. Colby Covington (R5 TKO)
Jorge Masvidal (+314)
Record: 35-14 (12-7 UFC) | Age: 36
Height: 5-11 | Reach: 73″
Wins: 16 KO, 2 SUB | Losses: 1 KO, 2 SUB
Recent fights: L to Kamaru Usman (un. dec.); def. Nate Diaz (R3 doctor stoppage); def. Ben Askren (R1 KO)
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