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In a 3-round light heavyweight bout on the main card, Alonzo Menifield and Carlos Ulberg meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 56 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 56: Menifield vs. Ulberg odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Records: Menifield (15-3-1) | Ulberg (10-1-0)
Menifield has posted a 4-0-1 record across his past 5 bouts, including a unanimous-decision win against Dustin Jacoby last time out at UFC 296. He also has 2 KO/TKO wins against Misha Cirkunov and Askar Mozharov since June 4, 2022. His last loss came Dec. 4, 2021, in a unanimous-decision setback to William Knight.
Ulberg, representing Team City Kickboxing, enters on a 5-bout win streak since losing his company debut at UFC 259 against Kennedy Nzechukwu. He picked up a 3rd-round submission win over Da Woon Jung at UFC 293 last time out in early September. Each of his past 4 fights have finished inside the distance, too, including three 1st-round KO/TKO victories.
Ulberg stands 4 inches taller than the veteran Menifield, and he has holds a slight 1-inch reach advantage. Ulberg has a big 7.29-to-3.92 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while Menifield is slightly more accurate at 64.26% on those strikes to just 60.61% for Kiwi.
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UFC on ESPN 56: Menifield vs. Ulberg odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Menifield +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Ulberg -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -150 | Under +115)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +200 | No -300)
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UFC on ESPN 56: Menifield vs. Ulberg picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
The 33-year-old Ulberg (-275) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return if you bet him straight up on the 2-way line. That’s too much risk for not nearly enough reward.
While Ulberg is a punching machine, and a good play, you need to get more specific and choose the method of victory, too. Menifield (+220) is a veteran, so this won’t be easy. Menifield hasn’t been knocked out since Ovince Saint Preux dropped him in the 2nd round in Sept. 2020.
However, ULBERG BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (-115) on the 7-way line is the way to go. It gives you a little wiggle room if you aren’t sold on just the knockout alone.
Over/Under (O/U)
No: Will the fight go the distance? (-300) will cost you 3 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not enough reward.
OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-150) is a strong play, however, as Menifield has been through the wars. He won’t be a pushover and will make Ulberg work before ultimately bowing out.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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