In a bantamweight bout, Edson Barboza and Makwan Amirkhani meet at UFC on ESPN+ 37 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Barboza (20-9) heads into this one with a three-inch reach advantage over the Finn, and he has a stark 4.08 to 1.55 significant strikes landed per minute difference. Where Amirkhani (16-4) holds an advantage is a 3.45 to 0.46 takedown-average lead and 1.62 to 0.06 submission-average lead. As such, Amirkhani will be trying to get this one to the canvas, while Barboza would prefer a toe-to-toe affair.
Barboza finds himself as the heavy favorite despite the fact he enters on a three-bout losing streak, including split-decision losses to Dan Ige and Paul Felder over the past two. He also has a loss to Justin Gaethje during the three-bout losing skid, but there is no shame falling to those three.
Amirkhani fell to Shane Burgos by knockout at UFC 244, but he bounced back with a submission victory in Round 1 against Danny Henry at UFC 241 in his most recent outing.
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Edson Barboza vs. Makwan Amirkhani betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:37 a.m. ET.
Barboza (-278) heads into this one as a heavy favorite, but you cannot risk nearly three times your potential return, especially on a guy on a three-bout skid. Despite the losing streak, I still like Barboza, but you need to get creative.
My suggestion is to take BARBOZA BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (+115) on the 5-way line, while also playing UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-129). The latter is a much better value than taking No (-159): “Will the fight go the distance?” If you want the extra 150 seconds for insurance, you’ll have to pay for it, and it’s just not worth doing.
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Also see:
- UFC on ESPN+ 37 predictions (MMA Junkie)
- MMA Junkie – The latest UFC/MMA coverage
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