In a middleweight bout in the main event, Uriah Hall and Anderson Silva meet at UFC on ESPN+ 39 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.
Hall (16-9) steps into the octagon two inches shorter than his 45-year-old counterpart Silva (34-10), who will be fighting in his final bout. Hall does enter with a 2.5-inch reach advantage. He heads into this one with a split-decision win over Antonio Carlos Junior last time out on Sept. 14, 2019. He was expected to meet Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at UFC 249 in April, but a positive test for COVID-19 for Souza scrapped that fight. He was to then face Yoel Romero in August, but the latter was forced out due to injury. So he’ll be chomping at the bit to get back into the cage, and he won’t have any reservations about sending Silva (34-10) into retirement with an L.
It will be sad to see “The Spider” go, as he has been a tremendous fighter over his career. But it’s probably time. He enters with just one win in his past eight outings, a unanimous-decision win over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 on Feb. 11, 2017. He was knocked out by Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 in his most recent showing. It would be a storybook performance for Silva to end his career with his hand raised, but it’s not going to happen.
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks.
New customer offer. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Uriah Hall vs. Anderson Silva betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:15 a.m. ET.
Playing Hall (-223) straight up on the 2-way fight result line is a little expensive, and posting more than two times your potential return is just too risky. So be a little more pinpoint with your wagers.
Silva has been knocked out in three of his past eight bouts, while Hall has won two of his past four via KO/TKO, so that’s the way to go. Take HALL BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+160) on the 5-way line, as it’s a much more lucrative option.
The thing with Hall’s fights, they haven’t ended particularly early. He has been to the second or third round, even when finishing inside the distance, in each of his past four outings. Bet on HALL IN ROUND 3 (+1000) and HALL IN ROUND 4 (+1400), as well as HALL IN ROUND 5 (+2200), to win. Yes, you will lose two of these three wagers. But if Hall wins in Round 3-5, you’ll still be well ahead. We saw this type of hedge bet strategy cash in the Lauren Murphy fight on the last card. It works. In addition, simply play NO (-122) ON ‘WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE?’, as it’s unlikely the judges will need to get involved here.
To watch the early prelims and prelims, sign up for ESPN+ now.
ALSO SEE:
Get some action on UFC on ESPN+ 39 by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on 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.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]