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UFC president Dana White vowed that the promotion would not return to live crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic unless the event could be held at full capacity. He got his wish and UFC 261 will feature a full crowd at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 24.
The event sold out in minutes when tickets went on sale, likely a combination of the desire for fans to see the Octagon in person once again and a stacked card featuring three championship fights.
In the main event, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will face Jorge Masvidal in a rematch of their UFC 251 fight, which was won by Usman. Masvidal stepped up on short notice for the fight, one of the first events of the COVID era held on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. Masvidal stepped in when Gilbert Burns was forced off the card due to the virus, but saw his offensive output entirely neutralized by the grappling of Usman.
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The co-main event is slated to see women’s strawweight champ Weili Zhang take on former titleholder Rose Namajunas. This one picked up some extra heat when Namajunas said she had added motivation of facing a Chinese champion because of her family’s struggle with Communism in Lithuania. This will be Zhang’s first fight since the instant classic with Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2020. Plus, flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko looks to make her latest title defense against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
CBS Sports will be with you throughout fight week to give you the latest insights, news and analysis along with picks and predictions. Stay tuned to this page for the latest coverage from Jacksonville, Florida.
UFC 261 fight card, odds
Odds via William Hill Sportsbook
- Kamaru Usman (c) -400 vs. Jorge Masvidal +310, welterweight championship
- Weili Zhang (c) -190 vs. Rose Namajunas +160, women’s strawweight championship
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) -400 vs. Jessica Andrade +310, women’s flyweight championship
- Uriah Hall -110 vs. Chris Weidman -110, middleweight
- Jimmy Crute -195 vs. Anthony Smith +165, light heavyweight
- Randy Brown -160 vs. Alex Oliveira +135, welterweight
- Dwight Grant -240 vs. Stefan Sekulic +200, welterweight
- Brendan Allen -130 vs. Karl Roberson +110, middleweight
- Patrick Sabatini -230 vs. Tristan Connelly +190, featherweights
- Danaa Batgerel -160 vs. Kevin Natividad +135, bantamweight
- Qileng Aori -110 vs. Jeffrey Molina -110, flyweight
- Johnny Munoz -300 vs. Jamey Simmons +240, bantamweights
- Rong Zhu -240 vs. Kazula Vargas +200, lightweight
- Ariane Carnelossi -190 vs. Na Liang +160, women’s strawweight
UFC 261 info
- Date: April 24
- Location: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena — Jacksonville, Florida
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV