[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
In a 5-round lightweight bout in the main event, Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis meet at UFC Fight Night 243 Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, France. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC Fight Night 243: Moicano vs. Saint Denis odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at noon ET on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 3 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.
Records: Moicano (19-5-1) | Saint Denis (13-2-0)
Moicano arrives in Paris looking for a 4-bout win streak, which would be a career best since arriving at the UFC level. He picked up a 2nd-round KO/TKO against Jalin Turner last time out at UFC 300 in April 2024. Prior to that, he had a unanimous-decision win over Drew Dober in February 2024, and he submitted Brad Riddell in Round 1 at UFC 281 back in 2022, showing his versatility.
The Brazilian fighter doesn’t tend to get the judges involved very often, as he has had just 2 decisions in the past 11 bouts, going 1-1 in those outings.
Saint Denis is looking to bounce back after a 2nd-round KO/TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 last time out in early March 2024. He has had 6 consecutive finishes, going 3-1 via KO/TKO in the span, while posting 2 submission wins since a unanimous-decision loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 267 in his company debut on Oct. 30, 2021.
Saint Denis is 7 years younger, and he is fighting in his native France, so the southpaw has that going for him. He also holds a 1-inch reach advantage, and he leads 5.70-to-4.38 in significant strikes landed per minute. Saint Denis has a 62.71% significant strikes accuracy
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
UFC Fight Night 243: Moicano vs. Saint Denis odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of UFC odds. Lines last updated at 8:27 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Moicano +230 (bet $100 to win $230) | Saint Denis -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +140 | Under -185)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +450 | No -800)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]
UFC Fight Night 243: Moicano vs. Saint Denis picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
The favorite Saint Denis (-300) will cost 3 times the potential return, and that’s just a little too expensive straight up on the 2-way line.
While Moicano (+240) is getting a little long in the tooth, at least in terms of UFC age, he is still a wily veteran, and quite dangerous.
Let’s get a little more specific instead. Taking SAINT DENIS BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (-210) on the 5-way line is still a little too expensive, but that’s your best bet, especially as part of a multi-leg parlay in conjunction with other bouts.
Over/Under (O/U)
There is no reason to consider No (-800): Will the fight go the distance? as it will set you back 8 times your potential return.
However, OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+140) at plus-money is a good play. Saint Denis is expected to get the victory, but Moicano will make him work for it in his native Paris. Don’t expect the veteran to go quietly into the night.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]