After UFC 249, Tony Ferguson has been medically suspended by the Florida Boxing Commission – which could be extended, pending test results.
It will probably take significantly longer, but [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] won’t fight again for at least another 60 days.
One half of the UFC 249 headliner, Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) battled [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] for 23:39 before suffering a TKO loss. For the majority of the fight, Ferguson absorbed shot after shot from Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
The Florida State Boxing Commission, which oversaw the event, has suspended Ferguson a minimum of 60 days. MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC 249 athletes’ medical suspensions from the Florida Boxing Commission on Monday.
More time could be tacked on to the suspension, pending further health testing on Ferguson. Conversely, Gaethje has been cleared and will face no medical suspension.
Eight fighters are looking at potential 180-day suspensions, including main card winner [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]. Despite beating [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] in the featured ESPN prelim, [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] could also be on the shelf for 180 days.
UFC249 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
(Note: No specific injury details were given.)
Check out a full list of the UFC 249 medical suspensions below.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 60 days mandatory
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician
Donald Cerrone: Suspended 30 days
Anthony Pettis: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 60 days mandatory
[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days
[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days
Tony Ferguson: Total suspension pending results; 60 days mandatory
A total of 13 fighters made north of six figures Saturday at UFC 249, not including several who earned post-fight bonuses.
Main event participants [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] walked home with a solid chunk of change following their “Fight of the Night” earning bout at UFC 249.
Monday, MMA Junkie obtained a list of disclosed UFC 249 salaries from the Florida State Boxing Commission, who oversaw Saturday night’s event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
With the interim UFC lightweight title on the line, Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) finished Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) with punches in Round 5. With the win, Gaethje earned a disclosed pay of $350,000, while Ferguson made $500,000.
In the co-main event, the UFC bantamweight championship was on the line. Titleholder [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] defeated former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] with strikes in Round 2. Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) earned $350,000, while Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) walked away with $300,000.
Check out a full list of the UFC 249 medical suspensions below.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $65,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $50,000
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]: $24,000
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $54,000
[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $57,000
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $180,000
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: $60,000
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $102,000
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: $100,000
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: $160,000
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]: $200,000
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]: $310,000
[autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag]: $12,000
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]: $180,000
Jeremy Stephens: $46,900*
Calvin Kattar: $116,100**
[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $80,000
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]: $260,000
Dominick Cruz: $300,000
Henry Cejudo: $350,000
Tony Ferguson: $500,000
Justin Gaethje: $350,000
*Stephens was fined 30 percent of his purse for missing weight, which went to Kattar.
**Kattar took 30 percent of Stephens’ fight purse.
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 249 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 249, which saw Justin Gaethje beat Tony Ferguson to win interim gold in the main event.
The UFC made its return on Saturday with UFC 249, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Two thrilling championship bouts capped the event. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) claimed interim lightweight gold with a fifth-round TKO of [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in the main event, while [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) finished [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) to defend his bantamweight belt then retired in the co-headliner.
There was much more of note on the card, too. For more on the numbers, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 249.
* * * *
General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $305,500.
Ferguson and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 249 fight-night bonuses. Gaethje received two bonuses for $100,000.
UFC 249 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 9-2 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 5-4 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 2:25:23.
Main card
Justin Gaethje
Gaethje became the first in MMA history to win titles in UFC and WSOF.
Gaethje has earned 20 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes all five of his UFC wins.
Gaethje is the only fighter in UFC history to win at least one fight-night bonus in each of his first seven octagon appearances.
Gaethje has been awarded nine fight-night bonuses in seven UFC appearances.
Gaethje’s nine UFC fight-night bonuses since 2017 are most of any fighter in the company.
Ferguson had his 12-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since May 2012.
Ferguson suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Ferguson has been awarded a fight-night bonus in eight of his past nine UFC appearances.
Cejudo became the second fighter in UFC history to record successful title defenses in two weight classes. Daniel Cormier also accomplished the feat.
Henry Cejudo
Cejudo improved to 7-0 in bantamweight competition during his career.
Cejudo has landed at least one takedown in all but one of his UFC fights where he’s attempted a takedown.
Cruz suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2016.
Cruz suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Francis Ngannou
Ngannou’s (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Ngannou has earned all 15 of his career victories by stoppage. That includes all 10 of his UFC wins.
Ngannou has earned his past four victories by knockout in a combined 2:42 of cage time.
Ngannou’s 10 stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC competition are tied with Thiago Santos and Charles Oliveira for most in the company.
Ngannou’s 10 stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC heavyweight competition are most in the division
[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-18 MMA, 15-17 UFC) fell to 8-9 (with one no contest) since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in May 2013.
Stephens’ 17 losses in UFC competition are the most in company history.
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Preliminary card
Anthony Pettis
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC) improved to 2-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in March 2019.
Pettis improved to 5-8 in his past 13 UFC appearances dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]’s (36-15 MMA, 23-12 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2019.
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-13-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Aug. 26, 2010 – a span of 3,544 days (nearly 10 years) and 25 fights.
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) fell to 9-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum has suffered six of his nine career losses by decision.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) improved to 6-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 11 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 34 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has suffered three of her four UFC losses by decision.
Vicente Luque
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has earned 16 of his 18 career victories by stoppage. That includes 10 of his 11 UFC wins.
Luque’s 10 stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC welterweight competition are most in the division during that span.
Luque’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (13) and Matt Hughes (12).
[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights.
Price has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.
Rosa has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]’s (18-5 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Jon Jones and Magomed Ankalaev for the longest active streak in the division.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]’s (33-14 MMA, 10-9 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.
Alvey fell to 2-4 since he moved up to the UFC light-heavyweight division in February 2018.
Alvey has suffered 10 of his 14 career losses by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 249 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $330,500.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 249 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $305,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC 249 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 249 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 249 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 249 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.
Calvin Kattar earned arguably the biggest win of his career when he stopped Jeremy Stephens in highlight-reel fashion at UFC 249.
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] earned arguably the biggest win of his career Saturday when he stopped [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] in highlight-reel fashion at UFC 249.
In what was entirely a standup fight, Kattar (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) find an opening to land a sickening elbow in the second round that dropped and stopped Stephens (28-18 MMA, 15-17 UFC) for the thrilling finish. The time of the stoppage was 2:42.
Stephens came out with his usual aggression, throwing hard punches and a crisp body kick at Kattar. He followed with a hard right hand, which aded up to a strong start for “Lil’ Heathen.” Kattar struggled to get into a groove, but landed some good leg kicks in between Stephens’ attacks. Both men settled into the fight, but Stephens was clearly leading the dance in the first round, although Kattar recovered some early lost ground.
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Both men showed visible damage from leg kicks going into the second round, and they started the frame by battering each other there some more. Stephens seemed to have the worse of it, but it didn’t stop him from pushing forward. Kattar gained confidence, though, and started to find his range a couple minutes into the round. He tagged Stephens with hooks and uppercuts, although Stephens showed his veteran savvy and didn’t allow himself to be flustered. He got too comfortable, though, because Kattar landed a massive right elbow that dropped Stephens. He swarmed with some punches, busting Stephens open with another elbow and forcing the fight to be called off at the 2:42 mark of Round 2.
“I’ve been learning as I’ve been going and I’ve been doing it with tough fights,” Kattar said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I’m happy to be here and I feel like I’m just scratching these surface and there featherweights are in big trouble when I put it all together.”
The catchweight bout (Stephens missed the featherweight limit) was part of the UFC 249 main card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 249 results include:
Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:42
With all the UFC fight announcements, it’s been hard to keep up. Check out five under-the-radar fights at the Jacksonville events.
With three short-notice UFC cards being booked in lightning-quick fashion, it’s been hard to keep up with all of the fight announcements.
Over the next eight days, the UFC will be holding three events: UFC 249 (Saturday), UFC on ESPN+ 29 (Wednesday) and UFC on ESPN 8 (May 16). All three events will be held at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sure, everyone knows Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje will fight, right after Henry Cejudo battles Dominick Cruz. Yes, Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira will slug it out four days later, followed by a Saturday night heavyweight rumble between Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem.
But what about the rest of the fights? With close to 40 fights happening in eight days, chances are some are being overlooked.
Check out five UFC fights that are flying under-the-radar for the upcoming Jacksonville events.
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5. Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland
Two of the UFC middleweight division’s brightest up-and-comers, [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will face off May 16 at UFC on ESPN 8.
When the May 16 event was slated to take place in San Diego, Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was expected to face Puna Soriano. However, Soriano was removed from the card and Holland (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stepped in.
Both fighters are extremely fun to watch. Hernandez is well-rounded, though submissions are his bread and butter. Nicknamed “Big Mouth,” by UFC president Dana White, Holland doesn’t shy away from yapping at his opponents from bell to bell. Luckily for him, his talents back up his chatter.
Hernandez, 26, is coming off his first UFC victory. After he lost his promotional debut against Markus Perez in February, Hernandez rebounded in August when he defeated Jun Yong Park by submission.
As for Holland, the 27-year-old Texas-based fighter lost his most recent fight to Brendan Allen in October. Prior to the second-round submission defeat, Holland had defeated John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert, and Alessio Di Chirico back-to-back-to-back.
Hernandez vs. Holland is currently penciled in as the featured preliminary card fight.
The UFC is back this week after two months away in the coronavirus era with a pair of title fights atop the first of three shows in eight days in Florida.
UFC 249 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. The event is closed to fans, but the fights still will take place and will be broadcast with essential personnel on site.
In the main event, [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title. Ferguson is favorite in the fight, and he’s got a decent 9-5 lead in the picks from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) puts his belt on the line for the first time when he meets ex-champ [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). Cejudo is roughly a 2-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and only three of our 14 pickers are taking Cruz to pull off the upset.
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Also on the main card, [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in what likely is a No. 1 contender bout at heavyweight. Ngannou is a heavy favorite, and he’s got a big 12-2 lead in the picks.
Our one near-unanimous pick is featherweight [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC). He’s more than a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC), and he’s got a 13-1 lead in the picks with only one picker taking Stephens in an upset.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will try to pull off an upset against 2-1 favorite [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at heavyweight. Hardy has a 9-5 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Ferguson (64 percent), Cruz (57 percent), Ngannou (78 percent), Kattar (65 percent) and Hardy (57 percent) are the choices.
Ahead of UFC 249, Jeremy Stephens found inspiration in an unlikely source: Charles Barkley in “The Last Dance.”
[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] hasn’t won in the UFC since February 2018.
Over his past four fights, Stephens (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) lost three times and had a no-contest against Yair Rodriguez. Looking for inspiration, he found it in an unlikely source: former NBA star Charles Barkley. The Hall of Fame basketball player was recently featured in the Michael Jordan documentary series “The Last Dance.”
“I was watching (Michael) Jordan in ‘The Last Dance,'” Stephens told MMA Junkie at a virtual UFC 249 pre-fight media day Thursday. “He goes up 2-0 against the Phoenix Suns. Then Charles Barkley in the third game, they were just a little bit more hungry. Jordan is up two games and he kind of lays off the gas a little bit. Charles Barkley had that hunger in that third game.
“You can’t stop that hunger. That will to win. I don’t think anybody has the will to win more than me. I love this sport. I love fighting. There’s nothing more than winning and getting that win. My will to win is super strong – my spirit, my soul (are) on fire right now. I just can’t wait to go in there and unleash on Calvin.”
His UFC 249 opponent Calvin Kattar is the matchup Stephens thinks should lead him to victory. Prior to the fight’s initial booking in March, Stephens and Kattar (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) ran into each other in Las Vegas. With a UFC matchmaker on the premises, Stephens brought Kattar to Sean Shelby and requested the fight.
“(I asked) just because he’s a fighter,” Stephens said. “These other guys kind of dance around and pick and choose. Calvin is one of the (real) guys. He’s ‘Boston Strong.’ He brings out that raw fighting. That’s the way I like to fight, too. Put two and two together. That makes for one heck of a fight. That’s what the fans want to see. They want to see a really good fight. He’s a guy who thinks he can match my skills. I’m going to put him to the test.”
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Operating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC has added numerous safety protocols to fight week procedures. Despite the irregularities, Stephens said he remains solely focused on beating Kattar. Nothing else matters.
“Take the corners and everything out of this – this COVID,” Stephens said. “Right now, if Kattar walked in here right now, I’d whoop his (expletive) ass. If he’s going to come here and, say, break into my house, what am I going to do? Stretch out? ‘Give me a minute. I need to get wrapped up.’ No. That’s not a fight.
“A fight is (when) my intentions are to beat your (expletive) ass before you beat mine. That’s it. Kill or be killed.”
Analyzing the big UFC 249 matchup between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar with UFC betting odds and picks.
Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar tangle in a featherweight bout on the main card at UFC 249 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with the main card on pay-per-view.
Kattar (20-4-0) is the heavy favorite in this one, and most of the stats are heavily skewed in his favor. First off, “The Boston Finisher” holds a two-inch height advantage and a one-inch reach advantage. More impressively, he has a 5.12-3.09 advantage in significant strikes landed per minute, while posting a 41.08 significant strike accuracy percentage.
Kattar has won each of his past three UFC wins by KO/TKO, including the past two in Round 1. His only two losses at the UFC level have come by unanimous decision. One thing to remember, when looking to method of victory, is that Kattar has never won or lost one of his 16 professional bouts by submission. He is 2-0 across his past two UFC fights as the favorite.
For Stephens, he is just 15-14-1 in 30 bouts at the UFC level, including 0-3-1 with one no contests across the past four. Like Kattar, he doesn’t go to the mat very often, and none of his 26 professional fights have results in a submission win or loss, so this fight will be one either by KO/TKO or points. Across the past seven fights, Stephens is 2-4-1 as an underdog, too.
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Kattar (-250) is a rather heavy favorite on the 2-way line, but that’s the way to go. It’s very hard to envision a way Stephens (+200) gets it done against the more consistent fighter.
In addition, we mentioned above that Kattar doesn’t go to the mat for the finish, so avoid being tempted by Kattar to win by submission (+1100). Instead, focus on the KO/TKO or DQ WIN PROP BY KATTAR (+300), which can help you triple up your initial bet. Lastly, if you look to the Total number of rounds, UNDER 2.5 (+145) is quite attractive with two fighters standing toe-to-toe looking to land big knockout blows. “The Boston Finisher” will finish Stephens early, perhaps even in the opening round, which makes KATTAR TO WIN IN ROUND 1 (+550) an attractive play as well. If not, hedging on Kattar to win in Round 2 (+800) is also worth a look.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Kattar (-250) to win returns a $4 profit. A $10 bet on Kattar to win by KO/TKO or DQ (+300) earns a $30 profit, while a bet on the fight going less than 2.5 rounds (+145) returns a $14.50 profit. The real nice hit would be if Kattar wins in Round 1 (+550), profiting $55 on a $10 wager.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
