Frankie Edgar – Page 3 – Syndication Server

UFC 281: Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 281 odds and lines between Frankie Edgar and Chris Gutierrez, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight bout on the main card, Frankie Edgar will take on Chris Gutierrez on Saturday at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the UFC 281: Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims and prelims are available on ESPN+ with the early prelims at 6 p.m. ET and the prelims at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is available via pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

This will be Edgar’s big sendoff as he announced that he will retire from MMA after Saturday’s fight. The 41-year-old former UFC Lightweight Champion has made quite a name for himself since joining the company in 2007. “The Answer” has dropped 4 of his last 5 fights, losing his last 2 by KO/TKO, including a 3rd round defeat to Marlon Vera at UFC 268 on Nov. 6, 2021, in his last bout. Edgar is 1-2 since making his bantamweight debut in August 2020.

Gutierrez is hitting his prime at 31 years old. “El Guapo” is 6-0-1 in his last 7 fights, winning his last bout against Danaa Batgerel by KO/TKO in March, finishing things in the 2nd round with a spinning back fist and a flurry of elbows. That win earned Gutierrez Performance of the Night accolades.

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UFC 281: Edgar vs. Gutierrez odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Fight result (2-way line): Edgar +190 (bet $100 to win $190) | Gutierrez -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -190 | Under +135)
Will the fight go the distance? Yes (-145) | No (+105)

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UFC 281: Edgar vs. Gutierrez picks and predictions

Records: Edgar (23-10-1) | Gutierrez (18-3-2)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Gutierrez is 10 years younger and 3 inches taller but Edgar has much more fight experience and will give his all in his final fight. Edgar should lean on his grappling experience and try to take this fight to the mat. He boasts a takedown average of 2.3 to Gutierrez’s 0.44 average.

Gutierrez is much more refined as a striker with an impressive 59% significant striking accuracy compared to Edgar’s 41%. Gutierrez will try to keep this fight off the ground and look for holes in Edgar’s striking game to land a couple of nice blows.

In the end, Gutierrez is on a tremendous run and climbing the ranks of the UFC’s bantamweight division. While Edgar is the better grappler, Gutierrez has a pretty good takedown defense (73%) so he should be able to keep this fight standing up and control the striking game, maybe notching a TKO or KO in the process.

However, the moneyline payout on Gutierrez (-230) isn’t great, so PASS on this straight up but feel free to include it in a parlay.

Over/Under (O/U)

Four of Edgar’s last 6 fights went over 2.5 rounds while 5 of Gutierrez’s last 7 have gone over as well. Edgar’s cardio is great for his age and he’ll use that to his advantage, so it seems likely that this one will hit the 3rd round.

LEAN OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-190).

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UFC 281 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Behind the scenes atop the Empire State Building

In the fifth episode of “Embedded” ahead of UFC 281 in New York, go behind the scenes at the press conference and a special photo shoot.

The UFC is back with its latest pay-per-view and a return to New York, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The main event is a middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). They have met twice before – but in kickboxing. Pereira has a pair of wins over Adesanya in those bouts.

The co-main event is a women’s strawweight title fight between champ [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weil[/autotag]i (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). In addition, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) in a key lightweight bout, and former lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) fights in what likely will be his final bout when he meets [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) at bantamweight.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champs Israel Adesanya and Carla Esparza join their opponents at the UFC 281 presser; Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier face off. Zhang Weili and Frankie Edgar train for their next chapters. Izzy and Alex Pereira pose at a landmark.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 predictions: Who are we picking in the two title fights in New York?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 281 main card, featuring Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira and Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili.

	Adesanya vs. Pereira	Esparza vs. Weili	Chandler vs. Poirier	Edgar vs. Gutierrez	Hooker vs. Puelles
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 176-105	Adesanya (51%)	Weili (86%)	Poirier (69%)	Gutierrez (64%)	Hooker (55%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 187-99 2018 Champion	Adesanya	Weili	Poirier	Gutierrez	Puelles
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 180-106	Adesanya	Esparza	Poirier	Gutierrez	Puelles
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 179-107	Adesanya	Weili	Poirier	Gutierrez	Puelles
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 176-110	Adesanya	Weili	Poirier	Edgar	Hooker
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 175-111 2014 Champion	Adesanya	Weili	Poirier	Gutierrez	Puelles
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 173-113	Pereira	Weili	Chandler	Edgar	Hooker
Simon Samano @SJSamano 173-113	Pereira	Esparza	Poirier	Edgar	Puelles
Brian Garcia @thegoze 167-119 2017 Champion	Adesanya	Weili	Chandler	Gutierrez	Puelles
Nolan King @mma_kings 166-120	Adesanya	Weili	Poirier	Gutierrez	Hooker
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 157-129	Adesanya	Esparza	Chandler	Edgar	Puelles
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 140-146	Adesanya	Weili	Chandler	Gutierrez	Puelles

The UFC is back in the “Big Apple” with a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who holds two wins over him in kickboxing. Adesanya is a -220 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Pereira is +170. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are sticking with the champ at a big 9-2 clip.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defends the title for the first time in her second stint as champion when she meets former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Weili is the biggest favorite on the main card at 4-1 and has a big 8-3 picks lead.

Also on the main card, former Bellator lightweight champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets former UFC interim champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC). Poirier is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window and has a 7-4 edge in the picks.

Former lightweight champ [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) will fight for what is likely to be the final time when he takes on [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) at bantamweight. Gutierrez is a -230 favorite and has a 7-4 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC) takes on [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at lightweight. Hooker is the favorite at -165, but Puelles is bucking the betting trend and has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Adesanya (51 percent), Weili (86 percent), Poirier (6z9 percent), Gutierrez (64 percent) and Hooker (55 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 214.

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UFC 281 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira avoids issue in dramatic fashion; two others miss weight

Check out results from the official UFC 281 weigh-ins in New York, where Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira made weight with a little drama.

NEW YORK – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting from Friday’s official UFC 281 fighter weigh-ins, where two fighters missed their marks.

In the main event, middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) takes on challenger and former kickboxing opponent [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Adesanya was among the initial burst of fighters to weigh in, but Pereira needed until the final minutes of the two-hour window. With five minutes left, Pereira made weight inside the weigh-in box UFC fighters use to strip down for some extra help on the scale.

Women’s strawweight chcamp [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and former titleholder Zhang Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who meet in the co-feature made weight without issue. In addition, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC), and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) successfully hit their marks ahead of a key lightweight fight.

Preliminary card fighters [autotag]Mike Trizano[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) missed weight, however. Their fights against [autotag]Seung Woo Choi[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), respectively, will proceed. Trizano and Spann each will forfeit 20 percent of their purses to their opponents.

Former lightweight champ [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC), who fights in what likely will be his retirement fight at banamweight against [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC), made weight again, which made it 30-for-30 in his UFC tenure.

The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in New York and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 4 p.m. ET at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The nearby Madison Square Garden hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The full UFC 281 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Israel Adesanya (185) vs. Alex Pereira (184.6) – for middleweight title
Champ Carla Esparza (114.8) vs. Zhang Weili (114.8) – for women’s strawweight title
Michael Chandler (155.8) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)
Frankie Edgar (135.6) vs. Chris Gutierrez (136)
Dan Hooker (155.8) vs. Claudio Puelles (155.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

Renato Moicano (155.8) vs. Brad Riddell (155.6)
Dominick Reyes (205.4) vs. Ryan Spann (206.6)*
Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Molly McCann (125.4)
Andre Petroski (185.8) vs. Wellington Turman (185.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

Ottman Azaitar (155.6) vs. Matt Frevola (154.8)
Silvana Gomez Juarez (115.6) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (115.6)
Seungwoo Choi (145.6) vs. Michael Trizano (147.6)**
Julio Arce (135.8) vs. Montel Jackson (135.8)
Nicolae Negumereanu (206) vs. Carlos Ulberg (205.2)

*Spann missed weight by 0.6 pounds and will be fined 20 percent of his fight purse.
**Trizano missed weight by 1.6 pounds and will be fined 20 percent of his fight purse.

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UFC 281 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Carla Esparza, Michael Chandler get Times Square moments

In the fourth episode of “Embedded” ahead of UFC 281 in New York, Carla Esparza and Michael Chandler have surreal moments in Times Square.

The UFC is back with its latest pay-per-view and a return to New York, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Carla Esparza and Michael Chandler take in their billboard. Dustin Poirier loosens up in the ring. Molly McCann meets a legend. Zhang Weili crosses paths with Esparza. At media day, champion Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira talk up their main event.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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Chris Gutierrez respects Frankie Edgar, says beating him at UFC 281 ‘not bittersweet at all’

Chris Gutierrez is honored to be former UFC champ Frankie Edgar’s final opponent and has no qualms about sending him off with an L.

NEW YORK – Beating [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] in his final fight won’t make things any more difficult for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag].

Gutierrez (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) faces Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 281 from Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

It will be the final time Edgar makes the walk to the octagon as he’s expected to retire, but Gutierrez won’t be impacted by the emotional moment.

“My job is to go in there and win,” Gutierrez told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at media day. “It’s not bittersweet. He’s had his run. He’s done amazing things for the sport. No, it’s not bittersweet at all.”

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Gutierrez will get a big opportunity and an extra spotlight being former UFC lightweight champion Edgar’s final opponent, but the 31-year-old said his seven-fight unbeaten run is what got him here. Gutierrez is coming off a bonus-winning spinning backfist TKO of Danaa Batgerel in March.

“No, not really,” Gutierrez said. “I earned my spot here. I came off a really big win back in March, and I stayed in the gym, stayed focused, and I kept my head down, and kept working. And I believe life comes full circle, so I earned my shot and when the opportunity came knocking, I was ready.”

He continued, “Frankie is a legend in the sport. He’s done amazing things. It’s still Frankie at the end of the day. I’m not gonna take anything away from the guy. He’s still a dangerous fighter, and that’s why I’m treating this fight like I treat every other fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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Frankie Edgar confirms he’s retiring ‘for sure’ from MMA at UFC 281, shares favorite career moment

Frankie Edgar confirms it’s his last fight.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] is soon to be done with MMA.

The former UFC lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger is hanging up the gloves after almost 20 years of professional fighting. Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) has his retirement fight this Saturday on the main card of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden Arena. He takes on Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) in a bantamweight bout.

Edgar says he’s 100 percent done with MMA, and likely combat sports as a whole. However, he does leave the door open for a big offer in the boxing world.

“This is my last UFC fight, MMA fight for sure,” Edgar told MMA Junkie at the UFC 281 media day on Wednesday. “I’m most likely, 100 percent, it’s my last fight. But if there’s some boxing, maybe (Manny) Pacquiao wants to do an exhibition – I know he’s doing exhibitions now. I can be open to something crazy like that, but it would really, really have to be a good one.”

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The 41-year-old fighter has done plenty throughout his time in MMA. In the later stages of his career, he dropped down to featherweight and then bantamweight. In both divisions, he was a top title contender.

But his best work came in the early 2010s when he won the UFC lightweight title from B.J. Penn and defended it three times. The title-winning performance against Penn back in 2010 at UFC 118 remains Edgar’s favorite career memory.

“If I had to pick one, it’s winning the title against B.J. Penn. I’ve been in athletics since I was 10 years old, always trying to be the best at that and I don’t think I ever accomplished it until winning the title. That always stands out to me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281

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UFC 281 faceoff: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler and other non-title faceoffs

The hype for the UFC 281 featured bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler continued to grow with their first faceoff.

NEW YORK – The hype for the UFC 281 featured bout between [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] continued to grow with their first faceoff at the pre-fight news conference.

Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC), a former interim UFC lightweight champion, and former Bellator titleholder Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) are set for a highly anticipated showdown on Saturday’s card, which takes place at Madison Square Garden and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Both men were spirited as they answered questions from reporters at Thursday’s press conference, and that energy came through as the first official fight week staredown between the pair of fan favorites.

Watch the video above to see Poirier and Chandler square up ahead of UFC 281, as well as the chatter between former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag], who will compete in his final MMA bout, and opponent [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]. Lightweights [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] and [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag] also faced off.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: ‘Meatball’ Molly McCann arrives and does some autograph work

In the third episode of “Embedded” ahead of UFC 281 in New York, Molly McCann and others arrive to get their fight weeks started.

The UFC is back with its latest pay-per-view and a return to New York, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Michael Chandler gets a ride from a friend. Alex Pereira packs for a life-changing week. Champ Carla Esparza enjoys the perks of her job. Champ Israel Adesanya and team push hard. Dustin Poirier, Molly McCann and Zhang Weili check in.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 pre-event facts: History at stake for multiple fighters on huge card

Go inside the numbers of Saturday’s stacked UFC 281 event, where multiple fighters have a chance to make history.

The UFC returns to New York on Saturday for its annual event at Madison Square Garden with UFC 281, which has a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A doubleheader of championship bouts is featured at the top of the card, with middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) set to take on former two-time kickboxing rival [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the headlining act.

The co-main event will see strawweight champion [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) attempt to kick off her second reign in positive fashion when she meets former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind both title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 281.

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