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Gian Villante and Maurice Greene lock horns in a heavyweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN 12 – also known as UFC Fight Night 174 – Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Villante (17-11) finds himself at a severe disadvantage for this one in more ways than one. First off, Greene (8-5) towers over Villante by four inches, while also having four-inch reach advantage. What’s more, Greene checks in at 243 pounds to just 205 pounds for Villante.
The weight situation could be to Villante’s advantage, however, as he is lighter on his feet and a little more agile. That weight situation is an advantage for Greene should the fight be taken to the ground, however.
Villante’s last time out ended in a Round 1 knockout loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk on the Blachowicz-Santos card Feb. 23, 2019. Villante has lost consecutive bouts on just one occasion in 15 fights at the UFC level, and that was back in 2017. Four of his past five fights have ended up going the distance, and he has never won or lost via submission at the UFC level.
Greene is also coming off a Jan. 18 loss, falling by submission to Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 246. Each of Greene’s previous three outings have finished inside the distance, a stark contrast to Villante, with two of the three ending via KO/TKO. Greene is 1-1 in those two affairs. He has posted five wins by submission in his career, with the last one coming in the TUF 28 Finale against Michel Batista Nov. 30, 2018.
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Gian Villante vs. Maurice Greene betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 26 at 7:25 a.m. ET.
Greene (-239) is a heavy favorite over the shaky Villante (+190). Playing Greene on the 2-way line is a bit expensive. Instead, consider taking GREENE BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (-112) at near even-money, with the only way you lose is if Villante pulls the upset or the fight is decided by the judges. So, this is easily your best bet.
UINDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-176) is a good way to go, too, as each of Greene’s past three fights have finished inside the distance. He doesn’t like to waste time. In fact, a nice wager would be pinpointing the round for a finish. Taking ROUND 2 (+350) for a finish could be quite lucrative. If you “REALLY” want to roll the dice, Greene by KO/TKO/DQ in Round 2 (note, submission is not included in this wager) pays +550. Why not toss a couple of dollars on that for fun?
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Greene by KO/TKO, DQ or Submission (-112) returns a profit of $8.93. A $10 wager on Under 2.5 Rounds (-176) returns a net profit of $5.68, while a $10 play on the fight ending in Round 2 (+350) would cash a ticket for $35 profit.
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