UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal Full Fight Card, Date & Details
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
United Arab Emirates
Main Card • Final
Nigeria
R5, 5:00
Title Fight
United States
Australia
R5, 5:00
Title Fight
Russia
Brazil
R3, 5:00
Fight of the Night
R1, 2:21
Prelims • Final
Czechia
R2, 0:49
Performance of the Night
Switzerland
R3, 5:00
Finland
R1, 3:15
Scotland
R3, 5:00
Early Prelims • Final
Poland
R3, 5:00
R3, 5:00
Kazakhstan
R3, 5:00
England
R3, 2:38
Performance of the Night
Official Event Results
Title Bout
Title Bout
$50k FOTN
Official Post-Fight Bonus Awards
$50,000 Post-Fight Bonus Recipients
Fight of the Night: Rose Namajunas and Jéssica Andrade earned $50,000 each for their furious three-round strawweight rematch that went down to a razor-thin split decision.
Performance of the Night: Czech newcomer Jiří Procházka electrified the preliminary broadcast with a second-round knockout over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, and England’s Davey Grant secured a dramatic walk-off knockout over Martin Day in round three.
Reported Payouts & Disclosed Purses
Fighter Purses & Total Payout Estimates
| Fighter | Result | Base Purse | Win / Finish Bonus | Performance Bonus | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | $50,000 | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | $50,000 | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | $50,000 | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | — | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — | |
| WIN | — | — | $50,000 | — | |
| LOSS | — | — | — | — |
*Official fighter purses were not publicly disclosed by athletic commission authorities for this event held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At weigh-ins, Raulian Paiva weighed in at 129 lb (3 lb over the flyweight non-title limit) and forfeited 20% of his purse to Zhalgas Zhumagulov; Vanessa Melo weighed in at 141 lb (5 lb over the bantamweight non-title limit) and forfeited 30% of her purse to Karol Rosa. Disclosed amounts reflect verified post-fight performance and fight bonus awards ($50,000 each). Undisclosed contractual payments are denoted by —.
Historic UFC Records Set
Promotional Records & Milestones at UFC 251
UFC 251 officially launched the promotion’s historic “Fight Island” residency on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, establishing an international bio-secure bubble to host worldwide events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UFC 251 set the all-time promotional record for the longest total fight time in a single event at 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 27 seconds, shattering the previous record held by UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.
Headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, the event generated an estimated 1.3 million PPV buys worldwide, making it one of the top five best-selling pay-per-view events in UFC history.
UFC 251 featured three world title fights on a single card: Kamaru Usman defended the welterweight title, Alexander Volkanovski retained the featherweight crown, and Petr Yan captured the vacant bantamweight belt.
Defending champion Kamaru Usman amassed an overwhelming 16 minutes and 38 seconds of control time and landed 263 total strikes against Jorge Masvidal in his second title defense.
Petr Yan battered former featherweight king José Aldo with 194 significant strikes before scoring a fifth-round TKO to claim the vacant undisputed UFC Bantamweight Championship.
Alexander Volkanovski overcame two early knockdowns to rally in rounds three, four, and five, successfully defending his featherweight title in a tightly contested split decision.
Former RIZIN champion Jiří Procházka authored one of the most memorable promotional debuts in 205-pound history, knocking out former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir with a clean right hook.
Davey Grant landed a devastating left-hook walk-off knockout of Martin Day at 2:38 of Round 3, securing his first career UFC Performance of the Night bonus.
Former champion Rose Namajunas avenged her 2019 title defeat to Jéssica Andrade, landing 82 significant strikes to claim a split decision in a three-round Fight of the Night classic.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Amanda Ribas dominated Paige VanZant on the canvas, forcing the tap with a slick first-round armbar at 2:21 in their featured main card contest.
TUF Brazil winner Leonardo Santos extended his unbeaten promotional run to eight fights (7-0-1), defeating Roman Bogatov via unanimous decision in a bout featuring a rare two-point foul deduction.
When and where did UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal take place?
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal took place on Saturday, July 11, 2020 (July 12 local time), at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Who won the main event between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal?
Kamaru Usman defended his UFC Welterweight Championship via unanimous decision (50–45, 50–45, 49–46) over Jorge Masvidal after controlling the contest for over 16 minutes.
Why did Jorge Masvidal take the fight on six days’ notice?
Original challenger Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19 one week before the event. Jorge Masvidal stepped in on just six days’ notice after passing COVID testing and flying directly to Abu Dhabi.
Who won the co-main event rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway?
Alexander Volkanovski retained his UFC Featherweight Championship via split decision (47–48, 48–47, 48–47) across five competitive rounds against Max Holloway.
Who won the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 251?
Russia’s Petr Yan defeated former featherweight king José Aldo via TKO (punches) at 3:24 of Round 5 to become the new undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion.
What bonuses were awarded at UFC 251?
Four fighters received $50,000 post-fight bonuses: Rose Namajunas vs. Jéssica Andrade earned Fight of the Night, while Jiří Procházka and Davey Grant each earned Performance of the Night awards.
What all-time record did UFC 251 set for total fight time?
UFC 251 established a new all-time UFC benchmark for the longest cumulative cage time in a single event at 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 27 seconds across 13 bouts.
How many pay-per-view buys did UFC 251 generate?
UFC 251 generated an estimated 1.3 million pay-per-view buys worldwide, marking the promotion’s highest-selling PPV card since UFC 229 in October 2018.
How did Jiří Procházka perform in his promotional debut?
Former RIZIN champion Jiří Procházka knocked out #7-ranked light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir with a crushing right hook at 0:49 of Round 2, earning a $50,000 Performance bonus.
How did Rose Namajunas win her rematch with Jéssica Andrade?
Rose Namajunas outpointed Andrade with superior footwork and boxing over the first two rounds to secure a split decision victory (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) in a three-round Fight of the Night clash.
How did Amanda Ribas defeat Paige VanZant?
Amanda Ribas took VanZant down and locked in an armbar submission at 2:21 of Round 1 to capture her fourth consecutive promotional victory.
What was unique about Davey Grant’s victory over Martin Day?
England’s Davey Grant absorbed early damage before landing a blistering walk-off left-hook knockout at 2:38 of Round 3, taking home a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Did any fighters miss weight for UFC 251?
Yes. Raulian Paiva weighed 129 lb (3 lb over the flyweight limit) and was fined 20% of his purse, while Vanessa Melo weighed 141 lb (5 lb over the bantamweight limit) and forfeited 30% of her purse.
What was the live attendance for UFC 251?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held inside the bio-secure bubble at Flash Forum behind closed doors with no ticketed spectators.
How many fights took place at UFC 251?
The event concluded a full 13 bouts, consisting of 5 main card bouts, 4 preliminary card bouts, and 4 early preliminary card bouts.
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