Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns betting odds released

The betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC welterweight title fight at UFC 251 between champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Gilbert Burns.

The UFC officially announced this week that Usman will take on Burns in the main event of UFC 251, which takes place July 11 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event will feature three title fights on it, with Usman vs. Burns headlining a stacked undercard featuring Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 for the UFC featherweight title and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC bantamweight belt.

Ahead of UFC 251, the oddsmakers have released the opening odds for Usman vs. Burns. Here they are, courtesy of BestFightOdds.

UFC 251: Gilbert Burns (+150) vs. Kamaru Usman (-175) https://t.co/AddyzG15jV @GilbertDurinho

— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) June 9, 2020

UFC 251 Opening Odds

Kamaru Usman -175
Gilbert Burns +150

Usman opened as a -175 betting favorite. That means you would have to bet $175 to win $100. Burns opened as a +150 betting underdog. That means you would have to bet $100 to win $150. With the fight still over a month away, the odds will fluctuate.

Usman was set to fight top contender Jorge Masvidal, but after “Gamebred” got into a heated contract stalemate with the UFC, the promotion called upon Burns to take the fight against Usman. Burns and Usman are both managed by Ali Abdelaziz and both men train at Sanford MMA, making this is a very personal battle between two teammates.

Usman (16-1) won TUF: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians in 2015 and has since turned in an incredible 11-0 mark inside the Octagon. He has fought and defeated most of the promotion’s top-ranked welterweights, including Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, Leon Edwards, Rafael dos Anjos, and Demian Maia. Usman has shown an incredibly well-rounded game throughout his career in the UFC and he keeps showing improvements every time he fights. In his last outing against Covington at UFC 245, he scored a fifth-round TKO win.

Burns (19-3) is currently riding a six-fight win streak as he has transformed himself into the No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division seemingly out of the blue. After an up-and-down run at lightweight, Burns made the full-time move to welterweight last year and so far the results have been incredible. Since moving up to 170lbs last August, Burns has defeated Woodley, Maia, Gunnar Nelson, and Alexey Kunchenko in impressive fashion as he’s quickly become one of the most dangerous and active fighters in all of MMA.

Who do you like at these opening odds, Kamaru Usman or Gilbert Burns?