UFC 251 Betting Guide: Latest Odds, Preview & Picks

"The show must go on" — that's been the UFC's mantra during the entire pandemic. And for UFC 251, they're putting on perhaps the biggest fight card of the year. Let's have a look at the UFC 251 betting odds.

Fighter #1				Fighter #2
Kamara Usman	-200	+20000 (Draw)	+200	Gilbert Burns
Alexander Volkanovski	-205	+20000 (Draw)	+195	Max Holloway
Petr Yan	-230	+20000 (Draw)	+190	Jose Aldo
Jessica Andrade	-165	+20000 (Draw)	+185	Rose Namajunas

UFC betting odds are out and here's how online odds-makers are currently pegging it:

• Kamara Usman is a convincing favorite to retain his welterweight title in the main event
• Six months removed from taking Max Holloway's featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski is unsurprisingly favored in the rematch
• Fighting for the vacant bantamweight champion, oddsmakers are giving Petr Yan the upper hand over Jose Aldo

Before we give out our free UFC 251 betting picks, did you know you could be eligible to receive hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play? That's right and they come in the form of welcome bonuses. Almost every sportsbook offers one to new players and it's there for the taking before UFC 251. Pair that with our predictions and you could be in for a nice payday!

Good Friends, Better Adversaries 

The main event pits two long-time sparring partners against one another with the welterweight championship on the line. The reigning champion is the favorite across the board:

These two have been training with one another since 2012. They've appeared in each other's corners during fights. But that goes out the window come July 12.  

The tale of the tape immediately favors Usman, particularly in reach. His 76-inch reach is five inches better than Burns. His jab is especially quick, plus it helps that he can square off in either fighting stance. 

Then again, you have to expect Burns will do everything in his power to keep this fight on the ground. He's truly a world-class grappler, evident by his multiple Jui-Jitsu world championships. 

If there's a prop bet for the exact finish, take a decision. Both these fighters are scorching-hot. Burns (19-3) is the winner of six in a row and has been knocked out just once in his career. Meanwhile, eight of Uzman's 16 wins have come by decision. 

Believe it or not, Burns is our upset pick. This man is just on a roll this year. While much of UFC's roster is bickering over money and threatening retirement, Burns has been busy fighting. He has two dominating wins this year two months apart (March then May) and one more victory will vault him into unprecedented territory. 

Betting pick to make: Gilbert Burns 

Grudge Match For The Featherweight Title

At UFC 245, Volkanovski scored a unanimous decision over Holloway, whose an all-timer in this weight class. Oddsmakers believe the rematch will be much of the same: 

Honestly, we have to agree with the bookies. As good as Holloway is — the featherweight GOAT in our book — this is just a flat-out bad matchup for him. In the first go, Holloway had zero answers for Volkanovski's devastating leg kicks. It forced Holloway to switch up his fighting stance, in turn wrecking his own offensive attack.

The first fight was just so one-sided that we have to ask ourselves: what adjustments can Holloway really make here? We'd say check a few leg kicks, but he was really helpless at that the first time around. We're betting on the champion to retain during the semi-main event. 

Betting pick: Alexander Volkanovski

Starting The Post-Cejudo Era

With Henry Cejudo out of the picture, the vacant bantamweight title is up for grabs between Yan and Aldo. 

Look, we respect Aldo and everything he's accomplished in his career, but he has no business being in this championship fight outside of name value. He's a soon-to-be 34-year-old that's lost two in a row (and five of his last eight). This will also be only his second fight in the weight class.

UFC is using Aldo to launch the next era of bantamweight fighting, a division that's propped by young and budding talent. Of course, leading that new pack of fighters is Yan, who we expect to win handily at UFC 251. Yan's striking ability will be on full display and an early-round knockout victory is our prediction.

Betting pick: Petr Yan 

Another Rematch Rounds Out The Main Card

Andrade was a big underdog during the two's first bout back in UFC 237, but that didn't stop her from a shocking knockout victory. Despite that, she remains an underdog in the grudge match:

Rose hasn't stepped into the octagon since that defeat, one where she made a crucial mistake that led to the knockout. But like her to avenge that defeat. Namajunas is the far superior striker, who'll outpoint Andrade in the scorecards. 

Betting pick to make: Rose Namajunas

With that said, those are our UFC 251 picks to make before the July 12 event. If you're looking for more odds, head over to one of our partners below. 

Many of these sportsbooks also offer those welcome bonuses we mentioned earlier. Just fund your account to unlock the bonus award. Are you really going to turn down free money in times like now?

Category : News

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