jorge-masvidal.jpg
USATSI

Bettors are gearing up for Saturday's UFC 261 main event between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal with an eye toward the many prop bets that are available. One of the Usman vs. Masvidal prop bets gaining traction involves how long the fight will last. Usman (18-1) is the defending UFC welterweight champion after knocking out Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 in February. He also defeated Masvidal (35-14) last July in a title bout at UFC 251, but should you back him with your UFC 261 bets?

Some of the top Usman vs. Masvidal prop bets from William Hill Sportsbook include whether the fight will go the distance (+175) and whether Usman win by decision (-125). Where are the best values in the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal prop bets? And which other bouts on the UFC 261 card should you target? Be sure to see what SportsLine's expert Brandon Wise has to say before locking in any UFC 261 picks.

Wise specializes in picking main-card fights for UFC, which has enabled him to be profitable every year. In fact, Wise went a perfect 5-0 at UFC 239 and was 4-1 at both UFC 245 and UFC 249. He also nailed Khabib Nurmagomedov's destruction of Conor McGregor in 2018, Stipe Miocic's defeat of Daniel Cormier, Max Holloway's downfall in 2019 and Justin Gaethje's TKO victory over Tony Ferguson in May of last year.

Since the UFC returned in May 2020 following a six-week period of inactivity due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wise has gone 68-45-2 while nailing the method of victory 50 times. At UFC 256, Wise went 4-0-1 (the main event was a draw) and correctly nailed the method of victory in three of those winners. Those selections included calling a decision victory for Charles Oliveira (+145) against Tony Ferguson (-165) in the lightweight co-main event. At UFC 257, he correctly called a stoppage victory for Makhmud Muradov (-145) against Andrew Sanchez (+125) in a matchup of middleweight prospects.

Now, Wise has zoned in on Masvidal vs. Usman and the rest of the UFC 261 fight card. Parlay his top picks together and you're looking at a strong payout of almost 7-1. You can only see who to back here.

Masvidal vs. Usman preview

Usman and Masvidal first fought at UFC 251 in July of last year, when Usman successfully defended his UFC Welterweight Championship for a second time with a unanimous decision win. In that fight, Usman landed 94 significant strikes to Masvidal's 66, but truly won over the judges by sticking five takedowns to earn two 50-45 scorecards and one 49-46.

Usman since went on to knockout Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 for a third title defense. The 33-year-old will likely follow a similar game plan as his first fight, tactically striking and using takedowns to sway judges. Masvidal is an intensity machine who has won two Fight of the Night awards in his UFC career and four Performance of the Night awards. He knocked out Ben Askren in just five seconds at UFC 239, which earned him the BMF fight against Nate Diaz that inevitably thrust him into the title picture.

Masvidal chose to primarily work the body and the legs with his strikes in the loss last July, landing 29 of his 39 attempts to the body and 14 of 17 attempted strikes to the legs. You can see who wins, and with what method of victory, here.

Top Usman vs. Masvidal prop bets

One of the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal prop bets Wise is targeting: Uriah Hall will defeat Chris Weidman via TKO in their middleweight bout. Six of Hall's last seven victories have come via knockout, including a fourth-round TKO of Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva in October. It was his third consecutive win.

Weidman, who returned to middleweight in August with a unanimous decision win over Omari Akhmedov in August of last year, has struggled lately, including a light heavyweight loss to Dominick Reyes in October 2019. Weidman had started his career with 13 consecutive victories, but is just 2-5 since then. He is 1-0 against Hall, however, winning by TKO in his middleweight debut to claim the Ring of Combat 31 middleweight championship in September 2010.

How to make Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal picks

Wise is also backing one fighter to "take care of business" against an opponent thanks to a critical x-factor. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, and what prop bets should you target for a 7-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to get Wise's top picks and UFC parlay, all from the expert who has been profitable every year.

UFC 261 fight card, 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)