In a heavyweight bout on the main card, Josh Parisian and Parker Porter meet at UFC on ESPN+ 42 – also called UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark – Saturday at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.
Parisian (13-3) will be making his UFC debut, as he accomplished everything he possibly could at the lower levels. He simply wasn’t being tested anymore, posting six straight knockout wins, five in the first round. His last loss came Feb. 16, 2019, at the Lights Out Championship 2, a submission loss to Brett Martin, so that’s something to watch.
Porter (10-6) made his company debut at UFC 252 on Aug. 15 against Chris Daukaus, and he was knocked out at 4:28 of the first round. Now, he looks to flip the script and welcome Parisian to the UFC level in the same fashion. It has been a mixed bag for Porter in his career. Four of his past seven fights have finished inside the distance, going 4-3 in those outings. At the lower levels, he has shown the versatility to be able to win by way of knockout or submission.
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Josh Parisian vs. Parker Porter: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
PARISIAN (-205) is a moderate favorite for a reason, and he’ll get it done to drop Porter (+170) to 0-2 at the UFC level.
I just don’t like the fact Porter hasn’t dominated at the lower levels, and he was dusted in a knockout in his UFC debut. Yes, the heavyweight division is a lot different than the lighter divisions, and one of the losses for Porter was a disqualification. But I am not in a hurry to back a fighter who is just 5-5 over his past 10 career fights. Parisian is on a serious roll, and he brings a tremendous amount of punching power with him.
I’d be surprised if this one gets late into the second round. BET UNDER 1.5 ROUNDS (-134), and taking PARISIAN IN ROUND 1 (+220) and PARISIAN IN ROUND 2 (+400) is a good bet. Yes, you’ll lose one bet, but if he wins in the first two rounds, you’ll still be well in the black.
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Also see:
- Curtis Blaydes tests positive for COVID-19, UFC on ESPN 18 main event scrapped (MMA Junkie)
- More UFC/MMA coverage from MMA Junkie
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