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UFC is ready to get back to regularly scheduled programming. With fans. The promotion heads back out on the road this week to Jacksonville, Florida, for UFC 261 with a loaded fight card that features three title fights. It all goes down on Saturday, April 24, inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman taking on Jorge Masvidal in a title rematch.
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.
The first meeting was a bit of a letdown for those expecting to see an all-out brawl. Usman grinded down Masvidal with his grappling and wrestling to keep the feared striker at bay and drain his gas tank after taking the fight on just a week’s notice. Now, Masvidal will look to avenge his loss and get back on the path to superstardom with a win over the champion and end his 17-fight win streak.
Elsewhere on the card, a pair of women’s title fights get some spotlight. Strawweight champion Weili Zhang will look to make her second title defense when she takes on former champ Rose Namajunas in the co-main event. Zhang has looked incredible in her run to grabbing the title in 2019 with a 42-second TKO over Jessica Andrade. She also earned the decision over Joanna Jedrejczyk in what many consider the greatest woman’s fight in history. Namajunas is no slouch, though. The former champ returned to action last year and avenged her title loss to Andrade. Now, she looks to become the first two-time champion in division history.
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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) -420 vs. Jorge Masvidal +330, welterweight championship
- Weili Zhang (c) -190 vs. Rose Namajunas +160, women’s strawweight championship
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) -420 vs. Jessica Andrade +330, women’s flyweight championship
- Chris Weidman -120 vs. Uriah Hall +100, middleweight
- Jimmy Crute -195 vs. Anthony Smith +165, light heavyweight
- Randy Brown -160 vs. Alex Oliveira +135, welterweight
- Dwight Grant -220 vs. Stefan Sekulic +180, welterweight
- Brendan Allen -140 vs. Karl Roberson +120, middleweight
- Patrick Sabatini -230 vs. Tristan Connelly +190, featherweights
- Danaa Batgerel -180 vs. Kevin Natividad +155, 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 -195 vs. Na Liang +165, 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 | Price: $69.99