Jackson Sedivy
We’re back! And so are the fans, UFC 261 will be live Saturday night from Jacksonville with an attendance of 15,000+. Dana White has been champing at the bit, to finally get back to live fans. This should only add to the atmosphere to what would have already been a great card. We have three title fights ahead of us tonight, all headlined by the Usman/Masvidal 2.
A title rematch purely created out of hype and not merit. Masvidal got pieced up in their first match-up. He never stood a chance and Usman ended up taking all 5 rounds, pure dominance. I expect a similar showing tonight, although the check still cashes the same, win or lose for Masvidal.
We also have two woman’s title belts on the line. Weili Zhang and Valentina Shevchenko will both be defending their respective titles Saturday night against two former opponents (of each other) Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade. 4 women who have spent their fair share around championship gold.
3 title fights, 13 fights total, it should be a great night of fights.
Here’s a look at the complete fight card for tonight:
Here are the extended fight odds:
…..and the PICKS!!!!
FIGHTS
EARLY PRELIMS – ESPN2 @ 5PM
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Na Liang 15-4 (+190) vs. Ariane Carnelossi (-210)
PICK: Ariane Carnelossi (-210)
MEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Jeff Molina 8-2 (-110) vs. Qileng Aori 18-6 (+100)
PICK: Qileng Aori (+100)
LIGHTWEIGHT
Rodrigo Vargas 11-4 (+205) vs. Zhu Rong 17-3 (-225)
PICK: Rodrigo Vargas (+205)
MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Danaa Batgerel 8-2 (-200) vs. Kevin Natividad 9-2 (+170)
PICK: Danaa Batgerel (-200)
PRELIMS – ESPN @ 7 PM
MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
Pat Sabatini 13-3 (-240) vs. Tristan Connelly 14-6 (+220)
PICK: Tristan Connelly (+220)
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Brendan Allen 15-4 (-152) vs. Karl Roberson 9-3 (+142)
PICK: Brendan Allen (-152)
WELTERWEIGHT
Dwight Grant 10-3 (-190) vs. Stefan Sekulic 12-3 (+175)
PICK: Dwight Grant (-190)
WELTERWEIGHT
Alex Oliviera 22-9-1, 2 NC (+127) vs. Randy Brown 12-4 (-137)
PICK: Alex Oliviera (+127)
MAIN CARD – ESPN PPV @ 9 PM
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Anthony Smith 34-16 (+185) vs. Jimmy Crute 12-1 (-200)
PICK: Jimmy Crute (-200)
MIDDLEWIGHT
Chris Weidman 15-5 (-125) vs. Uriah Hall 17-9 (+115)
PICK: Uriah Hall (+115)
TITLE BOUT – WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
(c) Valentina Shevchenko 20-3 (-470) vs. Jessica Andrade (+415)
PICK: Valentina Shevchenko (-470)
CO-MAIN EVENT TITLE BOUT- WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
(c) Weili Zhang 21-1 (-190) vs. Rose Namajunas 10-4 (+175)
PICK: Rose Namajunas (+175)
MAIN EVENT TITLE BOUT – WELTERWEIGHT
(c) Kamaru Usman 18-1 (-385) vs. Jorge Masvidal 35-14 (+345)
PICK: Kamaru Usman (+345)
It should truly be a great night of action. Make sure to follow along on Twitter @SONTChicago for all things Chicago & Combat Sports.
