Reddit! UFC 261 Live Free Stream, How to Watch MMA?

Cool Blood Fight!!!Usman vs. Masvidal 2 UFC Stream returns to PPV on Saturday -as well as a full arena of fans — with UFC 261 live from Jacksonville, Florida. Just over a year out from the last card promoted in front of a packed house because of the global pandemic,

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Dana White returns to the scene of his first closed-door show at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with a trio of title fights on the marquee.

Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman will take on Jorge Masvidal in a title rematch from 2020, strawweight champ Weili Zhang will face former titleholder Rose Namajunas and women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will battle former 115-pound champ, Jessica Andrade.

With no shortage of storylines entering such a loaded fight card, let’s take a closer look at what to watch for entering this weekend. 

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1. Jorge Masvidal’s meteoric rise fizzling out?

Let’s give credit to where it’s due: No one could’ve predicted Masvidal would return from a 16-month layoff in 2019 to become the fighter of the year and an overnight celebrity. His transformation from journeyman to legitimate title contender was fueled by a trio of knockouts and an unwavering level of confidence. Yet whether it’s fair or not to criticize him, something has happened to Masvidal in the year that followed. His star has dimmed considerably. Some of that has to do with how lifeless his UFC 251 loss to Usman was last July.

Even though Masvidal had the built-in excuse of a short training camp after taking the fight on short notice to save the card, he seemed to lean too heavily into it once Usman began to have his way inside the cage. At 36, time appears to be running out on Masvidal’s elite window. It’s not that a second loss to a fighter as great as Usman would see Masvidal return to being just another name. He’s too wild of a character for that to happen.

But one could argue the 3-1 underdog will need a victory (or at least come close to securing one in defeat) should he hope to retain anything close to the pop culture grip he had on the sport during 2019. 

2. Usman might exit this fight as P4P No. 1

On one hand, it sounds crazy. Yet Usman, who is riding a 17-fight win streak entering the fourth defense of his 170-pound title, just might have found a window of perfect timing to make a claim as the pound-for-pound best in the game.

and Jon Jones’ combination of inactivity and near-defeats. Usman would likely need to dominantly stop Masvidal to complete the transaction yet the steady evolution of his striking under new trainer Trevor Whitman has gone a long way in adding to Usman’s dominance. 

3. What kind of role might Rose Namajunas’ political stance take on her title bout? 

As a former women’s strawweight champion, Namajunas has long been best known for the statements she has made inside the cage with her fighting above anything controversial or combative with her words.

But as it pertains to the co-main event, it will be interesting to see whether the controversy becomes a source of extra motivation for Zhang following a 13-month layoff fueled by the pandemic and whether or not Namajunas goes on to regret injecting such a combative storyline into the fight’s narrative should she end up facing defeat. 

4. ‘Thug’ Rose should be considered a live underdog

Despite having just two title bouts in the UFC 261 on her resume, it has to be considered that the 31-year-old Zhang has only exceeded the lofty expectations the promotion had for her upon making her Octagon debut in 2018.

Zhang was vicious in running through Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds to win the title and her first defense against Jedrzejczyk, a five-round war that Zhang won via split decision, just might have been the most exciting and brutal women’s fight in the sport’s history.

Yet the betting odds for this fight are interesting mostly because Namajunas, the former champion who yielded her title to Andrade in 2019 after being violently slammed on her head, has proven on her best nights as a professional that she’s among the best in history.

Namajunas, currently a +160 underdog, has the size, length, and technical prowess on her feet to potentially be a handful for Zhang, which is why this matchup is so anticipated. Not only does Namajunas hold the advantage on the ground as a submission expert, 

5. Jessica Andrade the last, best test for Valentina Shevchenko

Since moving back down to her natural weight of 125 pounds and commandeering the UFC 261 women’s flyweight title in 2018, Shevchenko’s title reign of four defenses has been nothing short of dominant. Sure, Shevchenko had trouble trying to finish a stubborn Jennifer Maia last November.

But she was never in trouble during the fight and has retained a one-sided grip over the division. Luckily for fight fans, Andrade’s decision to move up from flyweight has provided the weight class with the only compelling matchup, at least on paper, it is bound to see anytime in the near future

Either way, should Andrade come up empty, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the top 10 at 125 pounds will end up finding odds this close given how incredible Shevchenko’s future Hall-of-Fame run continues to be. 

Final Word

Who will win Usman vs. Masvidal, and which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks for UFC 261, all from the ultimate insider who’s up almost $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year.