UFC 251 -- Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns Fight card
UFC 251 -- Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns Fight card


Fight Island is a reality, and the UFC is bringing a big pay-per-view to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with UFC 251 on July 11. The card is headlined by a trio of big championship fights and plenty of other big names are featured throughout the event.

In the main event, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman takes on Gilbert Burns. Burns got the call after negotiations for Usman to battle Jorge Masvidal fell apart. Usman won the welterweight title by beating Tyron Woodley and successfully defended it with a fifth-round knockout of Colby Covington in a brutal war in December. Burns is riding a six-fight winning streak, including back-to-back Performance of the Night showings in wins over Demian Maia and Woodley.

The second title fight will be a rematch of December's thrilling technical battle between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski is on as strong a run as any at 145 pounds with 18 straight wins dating back to 2013, including the decision over Holloway to claim the belt. Holloway, meanwhile, will look to get back on the winning track after a 1-2 2019. Before that, he was on a Volkanovski-type run, going undefeated for five years and claiming the title with two wins over Jose Aldo.

Speaking of Aldo, he will be featured in the third title bout when he takes on Petr Yan for the vacant bantamweight title. Aldo, the greatest featherweight in history, moved to bantamweight at UFC 245 and lost a mildly controversial split decision to Marlon Moraes. After the fight, UFC president Dana White said Aldo would fight Henry Cejudo for the championship, but the fight was ultimately derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. Cejudo has since retired and vacated the belt, leading Aldo to face top contender Yan. The Russian is on a nine-fight winning streak, including six in the UFC Octagon.

Plus, a pair of important women's fights round out the main card. Top strawweight contenders Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas will finally meet for their rematch after being scheduled to fight at UFC 249 in April. Namajunas was forced to withdraw when two family members died from COVID-19, according to her manager. Kicking off the main card will be a women's flyweight scrap between Paige VanZant and Amanda Ribas. It is reportedly VanZant's final fight on her UFC contract.

Dana White announced the rest of the fight card on June 18, complete with 13 fights to fill out the prelims and early prelims.

Let's take a look at the announced fight card for UFC 251.

UFC 251 info
Date: July 11
Location: Yas Island -- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
How to watch: ESPN+ PPV