3 must-watch UFC fights coming up in April 2021
The UFC recently held its first Fight Night event of April 2021 and it turned out to be a great night of fights.
In the headliner of UFC Vegas 23, Marvin Vettori outclassed Kevin Holland over five rounds to pick up a lopsided unanimous decision victory on the night. Other big winners from the night included the likes of Mackenzie Dern and Arnold Allen.
In the remainder of this month, there are three more high-octane cards lined up for fight fans to enjoy. The next UFC card is scheduled to take place on April 17, which is headlined by former champion Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum.
Following that, the promotion introduces yet another scintillating pay-per-view as Jorge Masvidal takes on Kamaru Usman in a high-stakes rematch of their UFC 251 clash. The winner of that fight will be crowned the new UFC welterweight champion.
In this article, we take a look at the three must-watch scraps that the promotion has lined up for April.
1) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum
On April 17, 2021, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker takes on Kelvin Gastelum. Gastelum has been going through a rough patch recently but a win against a former champ would surely put him back into title contention at 185lbs.
Gastelum lost three out of his last four fights, but his most recent fight against Ian Heinisch ended in a unanimous decision victory. However, in Robert Whittaker, Gastelum will definitely have his task cut out for him if he plans to get his hand raised on the night.
Whittaker is heading into the fight on the back of an impressive win against Jared Cannonier and a win would most likely propel him to contender status. Both Gastelum and Whittaker have lost to Israel Adesanya previously and would love nothing more than to have another go at the champ.
This fight promises to be a barnburner; make sure you don't miss it.
2) Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas (UFC 261)
Weili Zhang defends her strawweight title against former champion Rose Namajunas in the co-main event of UFC 261. Namajunas is a former strawweight champion and will be looking to put an end to Zhang's title reign when they meet at UFC 261.
Both Namajunas and Zhang are wonderful strikers and we expect their clash to be a back and forth encounter which either fighter can win if they manage to land the better shots in the fight. According to Namajunas, her fight against Zhang means much more than just a championship bout.
Speaking about the Lithuanian struggle against communist rule, Namajunas claimed that it motivates her to do well against her Chinese opponent Zhang. Zhang is yet to respond to Namajunas' controversial comments but one thing is for sure: when these two exchange leather inside the octagon, it's bound to be an intense affair.
3) Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal (UFC 261)
This is the rematch that the world has been waiting for. Both Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman despise each other and that isn't a secret anymore.
When Jorge Masvidal fought Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, The Nigerian Nightmare completely subdued the opponent to pick up a lopsided decision win. However, Masvidal took the fight on just six days' notice and even Usman feels that he deserves another chance to fight for the title.
Following his win against Gilbert Burns, Usman called out Masvidal for a rematch, claiming that he'd finish the former title challenger this time around. Masvidal, as game as ever, has accepted the rematch and believes that with an easier weight cut, he is better prepared to take out Usman than he was last time around.
Usman and Masvidal are set to clash in the main event of UFC 261 for the welterweight title. After over a year, fans will be allowed to be in attendance for the event, and what better way to cap it off than with an explosive main event between Masvidal and Usman?
Also Read: What is Jorge Masvidal's Net Worth in 2021?