Tag: Bantamweight Bout

UFC Fight Night 172: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Ray Borg odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 172 fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Ray Borg, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Merab Dvalishvili and Ray Borg hook up in a bantamweight fight on the main card at UFC Fight Night 172 Saturday at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Dvalishvili (10-4) heads into this one with a two-inch height advantage and a five-inch reach advantage, while dominating in terms of significant strikes landed per minute (3.84 to 1.52) and takedown average (7.80 to 3.89). That explains why the Georgia native (think Tbilisi, not Atlanta) is the heavy favorite. The striker has won three straight, winning each by unanimous decision, after losing his first two at the UFC level. Borg will easily be the toughest fighter Dvalishvili has faced to date, however.

Borg (13-5) will have big measurable disadvantages, particularly the reach, but he is a big-time grappler who will be trying to get Dvalishvili to the canvas early and often. Borg, nicknamed “The Tazmexican Devil,” suffered a disappointing split-decision loss to Ricky Simon May 13, 2020 on the Smith-Teixeira card, and apparently can’t wait to try to redeem himself. Borg is 2-3 across his past five bouts, with four straight going the distance. With the exception for the Demetrious Johnson title bout Oct. 7, 2017 at UFC 216 when Borg was clearly overmatched, his other two losses during the five-fight span could have easily gone the other way.

Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night 172? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Ray Borg betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, June 11 at 4:40 a.m. ET.

The veteran BORG (+310) is worth a roll of the dice on a small-unit play, just don’t get carried away. Borg is just the better value play. He could easily be on a three-bout win streak if not for the split-decision loss last time out, and perhaps that would’ve changed the perception of him coming into this one. Dvalishvili (-400) has a better body of work lately, but who has he really fought? Borg is the most experienced UFC fighter Dvalishvili will have faced in his entire career, and laying four times your potential return is just not good betting.

It’s a little expensive, but taking YES (-250): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is the way to go. Neither of these fighters have been getting quick finishes lately, with only one of Dvalishvili’s past five finishing inside the distance. He has also never been submitted in his pro career, something Borg would like to change. However, the Georgian should keep him at a distance and try to wow the judges with his technical ability.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Dvalishvili (-400) to win pays a profit of just $2.50, while a winning $10 bet on Borg (+310) fetches a profit of $31. A $10 wager of YES (-250) for the fight to go the distance returns $4.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC Fight Night 172: Jordan Espinosa vs. Mark De La Rosa odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 172 fight between Jordan Espinosa and Mark De La Rosa , with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Jordan Espinosa and Mark De La Rosa lock horns in a bantamweight fight on the main card at UFC Fight Night 172 Saturday at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Espinosa (14-7) enters as a moderate favorite over De La Rosa (11-4) in the first fight on the main card.

Espinosa holds a 4 1/2-inch reach advantage, and will look to add to his already sizable significant strikes landed per minute advantage. He leads that department 4.25 to 3.28 over De La Rosa, and has an even larger advantage in significant strike-accuracy percentage at 55.97 to 36.25. Espinosa isn’t a one-trick pony, though, and can grapple with the best of them, too. His numbers on the canvas are slightly better than what MDLR brings to the table.

Espinosa is hungry to snap a two-bout losing streak, as he was submitted in the first round against both Matt Schnell (Aug. 3, 2019) and Alex Perez (Jan. 25, 2020). However, the danger isn’t quite as high against De La Rosa, although you have to figure the challenger will certainly try his best to get the favorite to the mat.

De La Rosa is on a slide of his own, dropping his past three fights. “The Bumblebee” was knocked out in Round 2 last time out against Raulian Paiva Feb. 15, 2020, following a pair of unanimous-decision setbacks to Kai Kara-France Aug. 31, 2019, and Alex Perez March 30, 2019. De La Rosa’s last win was Nov. 10, 2018, a split-decision victory over Joby Sanchez. Three of De La Rosa’s past four fights have ended up going the distance, while Espinosa has finished inside the distance in three of his past four.

Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night 172? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Jordan Espinosa vs. Mark De La Rosa betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, June 11 at 5:45 a.m. ET.

ESPINOSA (-164) is the favorite, and you have to like him in this bout mainly because of his reach advantage and potential to finish with one punch. He makes his punches count, and De La Rosa doesn’t have the kind of ground game which would be a problem for the favorite. Based upon Espinosa’s significant strikes advantage and his work on the mat, taking NO (+170): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a strong value.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Fili (-164) returns a profit of just 6.10, while a winning $10 bet on De La Rosa (+135) fetches a profit of $13.50. A $10 play on NO (+170) for “Will the fight go the distance?” returns a profit of $17.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC 250: Raphael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC 250 fight between Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt tangle in a bantamweight bout on the main card at UFC 250 at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ and on pay-per-view.

Assuncao (27-7) is looking to pick himself up and dust himself off after dropping his past two fights, a submission loss to Marlon Moraes Feb. 2, 2019 and a unanimous decision setback to Cory Sandhagen at UFC 241 last time out Aug. 17, 2019. Despite the pair of losses, Assuncao still has an overall impressive body of work. He is fourth among all active bantamweights with 651 total strikes landed and he is first overall among active bantams with a 68.7 percent significant strike defense, which will be helpful against the big bomber Garbrandt.

Garbrandt (11-3) heads into this one with a three-inch height advantage over Assuncao, who actually has a one-inch reach advantage. Garbrandt will likely come out throwing a flurry of fists early in this bout. Six of his previous seven fights have ended via KO/TKO, winning three and losing three. His last outing was a Round 1 knockout loss at the hands of Pedro Munhoz March 2, 2019 at UFC 235. While Garbrandt enters on a three-bout losing skid, two of the setbacks were against TJ Dillashaw, including one match for the bantamweight strap, so it looks worse than it appears. Garbrandt ranks No. 1 among active fighters in his class with a knockdown average of 1.60 per 15 minutes. He also hasn’t fought past 2:41 of the second round in six of his past seven fights, so don’t expect a lengthy affair if he has his druthers.

Want to place a bet on UFC 250? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Rafael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 5 at 7 a.m. ET.

Assuncao (+115) is a slight underdog against GARBRANDT (-139), and rightly so. Despite a three-bout losing skid, Garbrandt still possesses the ability to end this thing early – remember, two of those three defeats were vs. Dillashaw, a champion.

While Assuncao hasn’t been knocked out in 14 professional bouts dating back to his UFC debut, a KO/TKO loss to Erik Koch March 19, 2011, taking GARBRANDT BY KO/TKO/ or DQ (+170) is worth a small-unit wager. Perhaps hedging with Garbrandt to win on points (+260) is a solid investment, too, just in case.

As mentioned, Garbrandt hasn’t been going very deep into fights lately, while eight of Assuncao’s past 10 outings have gone to the judges with him winning six of the eight decisions. As such, OVER 1.5 (-182) for the total number of rounds is a good play. Lastly, it’s worth taking GARBRANDT TO WIN BY KO/TKO/DQ IN ROUND 2 (+700). Don’t mortgage the kids’ college fund or anything, but that’s quite an attractive prop with a nice 7-to-1 payday.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Garbrandt (-139) to win on the 2-way line returns a profit of $7.19. A $10 wager on Garbrandt to win via KO/TKO or DQ (+170) nets a return of $17, while betting OVER 1.5 total rounds (-182) fetches a profit of $5.49.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC 250: Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC 250 fight between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen tussle in a bantamweight bout on the main card at UFC 250 at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ and on pay-per-view.

Sterling (18-3) is four inches shorter than his counterpart, while possessing a one-inch reach advantage. Sterling, also known as the “Funk Master,” is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Pedro Munhoz June 8, 2019 at UFC 238, improving to 4-0 over his past four bouts with three unanimous decision victories during the stretch. Sterling ranks No. 1 among active bantamweights with a 2.84 striking differential, and checks in third among active bantams with a 50.0 significant strike-accuracy percentage. What’s odd about those two previous stats is that he hasn’t won via KO/TKO since dropping Hugo Viana July 16, 2014. In 21 fights as a pro Sterling has never been submitted, either, winning by that method on seven occasions.

Sandhagen (12-1) has tasted defeat just once in his career, and is a perfect 5-0 at the UFC level, including a unanimous decision victory at UFC 241 (Aug. 17, 2019) over Raphael Assuncao – who is also on this UFC 250 card. Each of Sandhagen’s past two outings have ended up going the distance. In his 13 career pro bouts he has never suffered a loss by KO/TKO (4-0) or submission (3-0). In addition, he has a tremendous 7.14 significant strikes landed per minute, so he should put that striking differential of Sterling’s to the test.

Want to place a bet on UFC 250? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, June 4 at 11:45 a.m. ET.

This is going to be a brawl, and it’s tough to pick a winner between Sterling (-118) and Sandhagen (+100). However, since neither of these fighters have been submitted in their career, it’s a good idea to AVOID the 2-way line as the method of victory. In addition, Sterling just hasn’t been knocking people out, and he has never been KO’d. So, look for this FIGHT TO FINISH VIA DECISION (-209). Plus, back YES (-193): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? Try to parlay this with some other props for a better value.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Sandhagen pays even money, with a net profit of $10. A $10 bet on the fight finishing via decision (-209) nets a profit of just $4.78, and a $10 wager on the fight going the distance (-193) fetches a return of $5.18.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC 250: Eddie Wineland vs. Sean O’Malley odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC 250 fight between Eddie Wineland and Sean O’Malley, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Eddie Wineland and Sean O’Malley lock horns in a bantamweight bout on the main card at UFC 250 at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ and on pay-per-view.

The MMA veteran Wineland (24-13-1) is a decisive +375 underdog against the young buck O’Malley (11-0), who has yet to taste defeat in his career since turning pro.

Wineland stands four inches shorter than his counterpart, and has a three-inch reach disadvantage, too. The 35-year-old has won just six of his 13 fights at the UFC level, although he posted a nice KO/TKO win over Grigorii Popov at UFC 238 in his most recent bout June 8, 2019. Six of his past nine have resulted in a KO/TKO, with four on the winning side. He has not had a win or loss by submission in 17 bouts as a pro bouts dating back to April 5, 2009.

O’Malley has won each of his two fights since arriving at the UFC level, including a March 7 KO/TKO win over Jose Quinonez in just 2 minutes, 2 seconds at UFC 248. He is unbeaten in his 11 fights as a pro, and seven of the victories have come via KO/TKO, with one win by submission and three unanimous decision victories. Seven of those 11 bouts were over before the end of Round 1, too, so he has worked quick to this point.

Want to place a bet on UFC 250? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Eddie Wineland vs. Sean O’Malley betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, June 4 at 11 a.m. ET.

O’Malley (-500) is an overwhelming favorite against Wineland (+375). While O’Malley has never lost in 11 career pro bouts, that’s just too much chalk to eat, especially against a veteran scrapper like Wineland. If anything, it’s worth a roll of the dice to take Wineland on the 2-way line and pray for an upset. I’d STAY AWAY from both, however.

Wineland might not win the fight, but he won’t go quietly into the night, either. The best bet is to go with the TOTAL NUMBER OF ROUNDS OVER 1.5 (-139), as the veteran will make the kid work for it. If you want to play it safer, UNDER 2.5 rounds (-200) is also available. That being said, I think this FIGHT ENDS IN ROUND 2 (+310), which will allow you to triple up your investment/wager. If and when the favorite does win, it’s a solid play to bank on O’MALLEY BY KO/TKO or DQ (-118).

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on OVER 1.5 rounds (-139) to win returns a profit of $7.19. A $10 bet on the fight ending in Round 2 (+310) returns a handsome profit of $31, while an O’Malley win by KO/TKO or DQ (-118) returns a profit of $8.47.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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