UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 18 hours ago
- 8 min read
Introduction
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal took place on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It was the first event ever held on the UFC's purpose-built Fight Island, the most logistically complex pay-per-view in promotion history, and one of only three UFC events ever to feature three separate title fights in the same night.
The card delivered all three championship bouts within the distance or by judges' scorecards. Kamaru Usman retained the welterweight title via unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal, who had taken the fight on six days' notice after Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19 five days before fight night. Alexander Volkanovski narrowly retained the featherweight title via split decision over Max Holloway in their rematch — one of the most disputed scorecards of 2020. Petr Yan TKO'd Jose Aldo in round five to claim the vacant bantamweight title left empty by Henry Cejudo's in-cage retirement at UFC 249.
Fight Island had been built in eight weeks: a quarantined sports compound on Yas Island that included the venue, training facilities, fighter accommodations, and a 25-acre 'safe zone' meant to keep COVID out. UFC 251 produced approximately 1.3 million PPV buys — the highest of any closed-door event in the COVID era and the third-highest of 2020 overall.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 11, 2020
📍 Venue: Flash Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE (UFC Fight Island)
👥 Attendance: 0 (closed-door, COVID-19 era)
💰 Gate: $0 (no live audience)
📺 PPV Buys: ~1,300,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Usman def. Masvidal via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Max Holloway via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) — UFC Featherweight Championship
The Build-Up
The build-up to UFC 251 was a continuation of the logistical nightmare that had defined the UFC's 2020. The card was originally to be headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns, with Burns having earned the shot via four straight wins. Five days before fight night, Burns tested positive for COVID-19 in a routine fight-week test. The fight was off.
Within 24 hours, Dana White had a replacement: Jorge Masvidal, who had been in a months-long pay dispute with the UFC and had not fought since his BMF-belt win over Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019. Masvidal agreed in principle on a Monday, signed contracts on Tuesday, and flew to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. He weighed in at 170.5 pounds after cutting from 184 in six days — one of the most extreme short-notice weight cuts of any modern UFC title challenger.
The co-main was a rematch of one of 2019's best fights. Alexander Volkanovski had taken the featherweight title from Max Holloway by unanimous decision at UFC 245 in December 2019 — ending Holloway's three-year reign as 145-pound champion. The Hawaiian had spent six months campaigning for the rematch. Volkanovski entered as the slight favourite; many pundits picked Holloway to reclaim.
The third title fight was for the vacant bantamweight strap left empty by Henry Cejudo's in-cage retirement at UFC 249 two months earlier. Petr Yan, the 27-year-old Russian striker on a five-fight UFC win streak, faced Jose Aldo, the all-time featherweight king making his second bantamweight appearance after a competitive loss to Marlon Moraes in December 2019.
Main Event: Usman vs. Masvidal
Kamaru Usman fought a championship-level safety-first fight, the kind that wins decisions if not hearts. Through the first three rounds, Usman pressed Masvidal against the cage, mixed level changes, and scored 6 of 9 takedown attempts. Masvidal — visibly drained from the six-day weight cut and reportedly suffering from the IV-rehydration ban that came with short-notice rules — was unable to mount any meaningful offence. He kept walking forward and throwing single shots; Usman absorbed them and kept driving for the body lock.
Rounds four and five saw Masvidal find brief moments of striking success, but every time he threatened to build momentum, Usman closed the distance and the wrestling resumed. Final significant-strike count: Usman 61, Masvidal 76 — the rare title fight where the loser outlanded the winner in significant strikes. Usman won on grappling, control time (over 12 minutes of total control), and takedown success. Final scorecards: 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 for Usman.
It was Usman's second successful welterweight title defense and a clear signal that his championship reign would be built on his elite wrestling. He would defend the title five more times before losing to Leon Edwards by KO at UFC 278 in August 2022. Masvidal would get a rematch at UFC 261 in April 2021 — losing far more decisively, this time by second-round KO.
Co-Main Event: Volkanovski vs. Holloway 2
Across five rounds, Volkanovski and Holloway produced a five-round chess match that lived between the technical and the controversial. Holloway, with his trademark volume and combinations, appeared to win the first three rounds on the strength of jab-and-step boxing and a heavier punch output. Volkanovski's leg kicks accumulated; by round three, Holloway's lead leg was visibly compromised.
Rounds four and five flipped. With Holloway slowing and the lead leg gone, Volkanovski took over. He landed a knee in round four that drew a yelp from the corner microphones and stacked the activity through the fifth. The scorecards came back split: 48-47 Volkanovski, 47-48 Holloway, 48-47 Volkanovski. Holloway was visibly stunned; the cageside MMA media split close to 50/50 on the result. MMA Decisions registered Holloway winning the media-scoring aggregate.
In his post-fight interview, Holloway was gracious but firm: "You can't leave it in the judges' hands. But I felt like I did enough." Volkanovski acknowledged the closeness: "I had to dig deep in those last two rounds." The pair would meet a third time at UFC 276 in July 2022 — a fight Volkanovski won by unanimous decision in a less competitive performance — effectively closing the trilogy.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Kamaru Usman (c) def. Jorge Masvidal — Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) — Welterweight Title
Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Max Holloway — Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) — Featherweight Title
Petr Yan def. Jose Aldo — TKO (punches) — R5, 3:24 — Vacant Bantamweight Title
Rose Namajunas def. Jessica Andrade — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Strawweight
Amanda Ribas def. Paige VanZant — Submission (armbar) — R1, 2:21 — Flyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Volkan Oezdemir def. Jiri Prochazka — Split Decision — N/A (correction: Jiri Prochazka def. Volkan Oezdemir via KO R2, 0:49) — Light Heavyweight
Karol Rosa def. Vanessa Melo — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Bantamweight
Marcin Tybura def. Maxim Grishin — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) — Heavyweight
Davey Grant def. Martin Day — KO (punch) — R3, 4:48 — Bantamweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥊 Fight of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway — $50,000 each.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Petr Yan — $50,000 for the fifth-round TKO of Jose Aldo to claim the vacant bantamweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Amanda Ribas — $50,000 for the first-round armbar submission of Paige VanZant.
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event ever held on Fight Island — the purpose-built quarantined sports compound on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
• One of only three UFC events in promotion history to feature three separate world title fights on the same card (UFC 245 and UFC 217 being the others).
• Jorge Masvidal accepted the title fight on six days' notice — cutting from 184 lbs to 170.5 in six days — one of the most extreme short-notice weight cuts of any modern UFC title challenger.
• Usman's second welterweight title defense — part of a 15-fight UFC win streak from his 2015 debut to his UFC 278 loss to Leon Edwards in August 2022.
• Petr Yan became the first Russian-born UFC bantamweight champion.
• PPV buys (~1.3 million) were the highest of any closed-door COVID-era UFC event and the third-highest of 2020 overall.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 251 changed the geography of professional MMA. The success of Fight Island — commercially, logistically, medically — made Yas Island a permanent UFC destination. The promotion would return to Abu Dhabi for UFC 253 (September 2020), UFC 254 (October 2020), UFC 257 (January 2021), and a dozen more times through the mid-2020s. The Fight Island concept proved the UFC could move a full pay-per-view internationally inside a pandemic; it was the operational proof of concept that helped the company emerge from 2020 stronger than any other major sport.
For Kamaru Usman, the Masvidal win was confirmation of his championship trajectory. He would go on to defend the title six total times — against Masvidal again (UFC 261), Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington (twice), and Leon Edwards — before losing the belt to Edwards by head kick at UFC 278 in August 2022. UFC 251 is now seen as the moment his championship era was fully cemented.
For Volkanovski and Holloway, the controversy of the scorecards generated months of conversation and a trilogy fight at UFC 276 in July 2022 (Volkanovski again, by clearer decision). The split-decision result at UFC 251 is now widely cited alongside the Jones-Reyes scorecards as one of the canonical examples of 2020's championship-level judging inconsistencies.
Petr Yan's title win was a milestone for Russian MMA — the first bantamweight champion from the country — and the start of a brief but turbulent reign. He would lose the title at UFC 259 (March 2021) to Aljamain Sterling by DQ, then lose the rematch at UFC 273 (April 2022) by split decision. UFC 251 remained the high-water mark of his career.
FAQ
Why did Masvidal take the UFC 251 main event on six days' notice?
Original challenger Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19 in a routine fight-week test five days before the bout. The UFC pulled Burns and approached Masvidal, who had been in a months-long pay dispute with the promotion. Masvidal agreed in principle on Monday, signed contracts Tuesday, and flew to Abu Dhabi Wednesday. He weighed in at 170.5 lbs after cutting from 184 — a 13.5 lb cut in six days — one of the most extreme in modern UFC title-fight history.
Where is UFC Fight Island?
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The UFC built a quarantined sports compound there in eight weeks of mid-2020, featuring the Flash Forum venue, training facilities, fighter hotels, and a 25-acre safe zone designed to keep COVID-19 out. The first event held there was UFC 251 on July 11, 2020. Fight Island would host UFC 253, UFC 254, UFC 257, and many more events through the mid-2020s, becoming a permanent UFC destination.
Was the Volkanovski-Holloway 2 scorecard really controversial?
Yes. The split-decision result (48-47, 47-48, 48-47 for Volkanovski) was widely disputed. MMA Decisions' media-scoring aggregator showed a near 50/50 split, with a slight majority for Holloway. Holloway appeared to win the first three rounds with volume jabs and combinations; Volkanovski took over in the championship rounds with leg kicks and clinch work. The trilogy at UFC 276 produced a clearer Volkanovski win and effectively closed the rivalry.
How many PPV buys did UFC 251 do?
Approximately 1.3 million — the highest of any closed-door UFC event during the COVID era and the third-highest of 2020 overall (behind UFC 246 and UFC 254). The buy rate reflected the rare three-title-fight card, the Masvidal short-notice storyline, and the novelty of the Fight Island debut.
Did Masvidal get a rematch with Usman?
Yes. The pair rematched at UFC 261 in April 2021 in Jacksonville — the first full-crowd UFC event after the COVID shutdown. Masvidal had a full training camp this time and the IV-rehydration access that came with normal preparation. He lost more decisively than at UFC 251, going down to a Usman right hand in round two for a clean KO. Masvidal went 0-3 in his next three UFC bouts and retired in 2023.
Did Petr Yan keep the bantamweight title?
Only briefly. Yan lost the title at UFC 259 in March 2021 to Aljamain Sterling by DQ — after landing an illegal knee on a grounded opponent in round four. He lost the rematch at UFC 273 (April 2022) by split decision, then lost an interim title fight to Sean O'Malley at UFC 280 (October 2022) by split decision. UFC 251 remained the high-water mark of his career.
How does UFC 251 compare to UFC 250?
UFC 251 drew approximately 1.3 million PPV buys — nearly 4x the UFC 250 number from five weeks earlier (~350,000). The gap reflected the three-title-fight card, the Masvidal short-notice storyline, and the novelty of Fight Island. UFC 251 is now widely cited as the moment the UFC's COVID-era business model fully clicked.
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