UFC 251

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Industry	Mixed martial arts promotion
Founded	1993 (1993)
Founder	Art Davie, Rorion Gracie
Headquarters	Las Vegas , United States
Key people	Dana White (President)
Products	Mixed martial arts events
Website	www.ufc.com

UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal represented a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 12, 2020, held at the du Forum located on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Initially planned for June 6 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently moved to Abu Dhabi.

Background

This occasion was set to be the UFC’s second event in Perth following UFC 221 in February 2018. Nevertheless, on May 5, the organization officially delayed the Perth date citing concerns related to the ongoing pandemic.

A rematch for the UFC Featherweight Championship between reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski and former titleholder Max Holloway was originally slated as the main event for June 6. Volkanovski had secured victory in their initial bout at UFC 245. However, he postponed his title defense due to complications arising from the pandemic.

The planned UFC Women's Flyweight Championship contest between titleholder Valentina Shevchenko and challenger Joanne Calderwood, also scheduled for June, was deferred after Shevchenko withdrew because of a leg injury.

COVID-19 pandemic, relocation to Abu Dhabi

On April 7, UFC president Dana White revealed intentions to hold events on an international "Fight Island" to facilitate fighters impacted by U.S. COVID-19 travel restrictions.

By June 9, UFC confirmed Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE as the designated "Fight Island," hosting four events during July. This marked the fourth occasion for UFC events on Yas Island, which featured a secured 10-square-mile zone restricted to essential personnel only and included accommodations such as hotels, dining venues, and a beachside training cage. The fights took place within the du Forum arena, enforcing rigorous health measures including disinfection tunnels for all entrants.

With no spectators present, fight cards were scheduled to align with U.S. prime time television slots, causing preliminary bouts to commence around 2:00 am Gulf Standard Time.

The main event featured a UFC Welterweight Championship clash between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. After Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew, Jorge Masvidal stepped in as his replacement upon successfully passing all testing protocols. The co-main event showcased a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

Additionally, a vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship fight took place between Petr Yan and former UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo, following Henry Cejudo’s retirement and subsequent relinquishing of the belt.

Several previously postponed fights were rescheduled for this event:

• A women’s strawweight rematch between former champions Jéssica Andrade and Rose Namajunas; initially arranged for UFC 249 but delayed due to Namajunas experiencing family losses related to COVID-19.
• A heavyweight bout featuring Shamil Abdurakhimov versus Ciryl Gane; this matchup had been canceled twice owing to Gane’s training injury and Abdurakhimov’s withdrawal. Subsequently, Gane competed against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Fight Night.
• A women’s strawweight contest between Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant; rescheduled after VanZant pulled out from an earlier card due to injury.

A bantamweight matchup involving Pedro Munhoz and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was shifted to UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige.

Marcin Tybura was originally booked against Alexander Romanov; however, Romanov tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by promotional newcomer Maxim Grishin.

At the official weigh-ins, Raulian Paiva and Vanessa Melo failed to make weight limits, resulting in catchweight bouts. Both fighters were fined—Paiva forfeited 20% of his purse to opponent Zhalgas Zhumagulov, while Melo surrendered 30% of her earnings to Karol Rosa.

Bonus awards

Monetary rewards of $50,000 were granted to the following fighters:

• Fight of the Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Jéssica Andrade
• Performance of the Night: Jiří Procházka and Davey Grant

Records set

This event established a new record for total fight duration, lasting 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 27 seconds, exceeding the previous mark held by UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura. Subsequently, UFC 263 surpassed this with a length of 3:19:32.

See also

• List of UFC events
• List of current UFC fighters
• 2020 in UFC