UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- May 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 14
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, and one of only three UFC events ever to feature three separate title fights in the same night.
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. Alexander Volkanovski narrowly retained the featherweight title via split decision over Max Holloway in their rematch. Petr Yan TKO'd Jose Aldo in round five to claim the vacant bantamweight title.
UFC 251 produced approximately 1.3 million PPV buys — the highest of any closed-door event in the COVID era.
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 card was originally to be headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns. Five days before fight night, Burns tested positive for COVID-19. Within 24 hours, Dana White had a replacement: Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal agreed on a Monday, signed contracts Tuesday, flew to Abu Dhabi Wednesday, and weighed in at 170.5 lbs after cutting from 184 in six days.
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 faced Jose Aldo.
Main Event: Usman vs. Masvidal
Usman fought a championship-level safety-first fight, scoring 5 of 9 takedown attempts and winning 263-88 in total strikes. Masvidal — visibly drained from the six-day weight cut — was unable to mount any meaningful offence. Final scorecards: 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 for Usman.
Co-Main Event: Volkanovski vs. Holloway 2
A close five-round chess match. Holloway appeared to win the first three rounds on volume striking. Volkanovski took over in rounds four and five with leg kicks and clinch control. Scorecards: 48-47 Volkanovski, 47-48 Holloway, 48-47 Volkanovski. MMA Decisions registered Holloway winning the media-scoring aggregate.
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 (POTN)
Rose Namajunas def. Jessica Andrade — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Strawweight (FOTN)
Amanda Ribas def. Paige VanZant — Submission (armbar) — R1, 2:21 — Flyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jiri Prochazka def. Volkan Oezdemir — KO (punch) — R2, 0:49 — Light Heavyweight (POTN) [UFC debut]
Davey Grant def. Martin Day — KO (punch) — R3, 4:48 — Bantamweight (POTN)
Marcin Tybura def. Maxim Grishin — Unanimous Decision — Heavyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥊 Fight of the Night ($50,000 each): Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade II — Namajunas avenged her previous loss via split decision.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jiri Prochazka — $50,000 for his stunning UFC debut KO of Volkan Oezdemir at R2 0:49.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Davey Grant — $50,000 for the R3 KO of Martin Day.
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event ever held on Fight Island.
• One of only three UFC events in promotion history to feature three separate world title fights.
• Jorge Masvidal accepted the title fight on six days' notice, cutting from 184 to 170.5 in six days.
• 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.
• Jiri Prochazka's UFC debut KO of Oezdemir at 0:49 was one of the fastest finishes in LHW prelim history and immediately put him in the title conversation.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 251 changed the geography of professional MMA. The success of Fight Island made Yas Island a permanent UFC destination. The promotion returned to Abu Dhabi for UFC 253, 254, 257, and many more events through the mid-2020s.
FAQ
Why did Masvidal take the UFC 251 main event on six days' notice?
Original challenger Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19 five days before the bout. The UFC approached Masvidal, who 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.
Was the Volkanovski-Holloway 2 scorecard controversial?
Yes. The split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47 for Volkanovski) was widely disputed. MMA Decisions' media-scoring showed a slight majority for Holloway. The trilogy at UFC 276 produced a clearer Volkanovski win and closed the rivalry.
Who got bonuses at UFC 251?
Fight of the Night: Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade ($50k each) for their split-decision strawweight rematch. Performance of the Night: Jiri Prochazka ($50k for the R2 0:49 KO of Oezdemir in his UFC debut) and Davey Grant ($50k for the R3 KO of Martin Day).
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 an illegal knee. He lost the rematch at UFC 273 by split decision. UFC 251 remained the high-water mark of his career.
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