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Jorge Masvidal received loud ovations this week when he took the stage leading up to UFC 261. There’s little doubt where the majority of fan sentiment will lie when the fourth-ranked challenger takes on champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 261 on Saturday night. Their clash tops a main UFC 261 card that features three championship fights from Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. Masvidal, a Miami native, is a local hero and one of the most popular fighters on the UFC’s roster. The event will have full capacity for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 15,000 fans expected.
Usman is a -400 favorite (risk $400 to win $100), while Masvidal is a +320 underdog in the latest Usman vs. Masvidal odds from William Hill Sportsbook. In the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili (-185) will defend her title against top-ranked contender Rose Namajunas (+165). Before locking in any picks of your own for Usman vs. Masvidal 2 or the rest of the UFC 261 card, make sure you see the MMA predictions from SportsLine insider Ian Parker.
A former fighter who’s been in the industry for 15 years, Parker has managed some of the world’s best, including former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Costas Philippou and Gian Villante. Parker trained alongside UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra. Now, Parker breaks down fights and makes betting picks for the Voice of the UFC, Jon Anik.
Parker is coming off a mind-boggling 2020 season. On the Anik & Florian Podcast, Parker went an astounding 58-14, returning $9,465 to $100 bettors who followed him. He hit 11 of his 17 underdog picks and 19 of 30 main events. Overall, Parker nailed an astonishing 81 percent of his plays.
Parker already has proven his mettle to SportsLine members, as he went 4-1 at UFC 259 to give his followers a profitable card. His winners included telling SportsLine members to back former champion Dominick Cruz (+120) against Casey Kenney (-140) in the featured preliminary bout. Moreover, Parker is 8-1 on Bellator picks since joining SportsLine for a profit of nearly $700. Anyone who has followed Parker already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC 261 in sight, Parker has studied the MMA odds and matchups from every angle and released his top picks. You can only see them here.
UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal preview
Parker knows the main event presents a defining moment in the careers of both fighters. This is particularly the case for Masvidal (35-14), who could be looking at his last title shot should he come up short in Saturday’s rematch.
Long a favorite of MMA fans, Masvidal rose to international fame in 2019 with a remarkable run that included a knockout of Darren Till as well as his infamous five-second, flying-knee knockout of Ben Askren.
His lone appearance last year came on a week’s notice against Usman as a short-notice replacement for Gilbert Burns. Masvidal endured a massive weight cut and, despite having a few notable moments, was mostly dominated by the elusive champion.
Usman (18-1), whose only professional MMA defeat came nearly eight years ago, hopes another dominant victory will generate the widespread respect he covets. He already has defeated every fighter in the top five of the welterweight division with the exception of Stephen Thompson.
The champion has repeatedly said he took a rematch with Masvidal to remove all doubt as to who is the superior fighter, a counter to the challenger’s assertion that the outcome might have been different with a full training camp. You can only see Parker’s coveted Usman vs. Masvidal 2 picks here.
Top UFC 261 predictions
We’ll share one of Parker’s UFC 261 picks here: He is backing Danaa Batgerel (-145) to get his hand raised against Kevin Natividad (+125) in a clash of bantamweight prospects.
Natividad (9-2) earned the nod from the UFC behind a 9-1 start to his MMA career that included a 4-0 run through the respected Legacy Fighting Alliance promotion. The 28-year-old Hawaii native received a UFC call-up late last year, but saw his debut with the promotion end in a third-round stoppage loss to fellow prospect Miles Johns.
Batgerel (8-2) similarly caught the attention with a dominant showing in various promotions to start his career at 7-1 with four stoppages. The 31-year-old Mongolian has split his first two UFC appearances and is coming off perhaps the most impressive performance of his career. He stopped Guido Cannetti in the first round of their fight at UFC 248 last year.
“Look for Batgerel to get the better of the exchanges and, if the fight hits the floor, he will have the ground game advantage as well,” Parker told SportsLine.
How to make UFC 261 picks
Parker also has strong picks for Usman vs. Masvidal 2 and other fights on the UFC 261 card. He’s also backing a fighter who “has the ability to take strikes and deliver them twice as hard” to get a convincing win. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Usman vs. Masvidal 2? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed UFC 261 picks, all from the ultimate insider who’s up nearly $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.
UFC 261 odds
Kamaru Usman (-400) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+320)
Zhang Weili (-185) vs. Rose Namajunas (+165)
Valentina Shevchenko (-400) vs. Jessica Andrade (+320)
Uriah Hall (-115) vs. Chris Weidman (-105)
Jim Crute (-190) vs. Anthony Smith (+170)
Randy Brown (-155) vs. Alex Oliveira (+135)
Dwight Grant (-250) vs. Stefan Sekulic (+210)
Brendan Allen (-130) vs. Karl Roberson (+110)
Patrick Sabatini (-220) vs. Tristan Connelly (+190)
Danaa Batgerel (-145) vs. Kevin Natividad (+125)
Zhu Rong (-250) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (+210)
Jeff Molina (-110) vs. Qileng Aori (-110)
Ariane Carnelossi (-180) vs. Na Liang (+160)
Johnny Munoz (-275) vs. Jamey Simmons (+235)