UFC 278: Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 278 odds and lines between Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight bout on the main card, Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili meet Saturday at UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Below, we analyze the UFC 278 Aldo vs. Dvalishvili odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-per-view.

Aldo heads to the octagon with a 2-inch reach advantage. Dvalishvili, however, has a 4.26-to-3.61 edge in significant strikes landed per minute, while landing 60.21% of those strikes to just 49.91% for Aldo.

Aldo has picked up 3 straight unanimous-decision victories since losing in a 5th-round KO/TKO in a title fight against Petr Yan at UFC 251.

Dvalishvili has rattled off 7 straight wins since losing his first 2 bouts at the UFC level. In 6 of this fights, he ended up winning via unanimous decision, and he posted a 2nd-round KO/TKO win over Marlon Moraes at UFC 266 last time out.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 278 Aldo vs. Dvalishvili odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:05 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Aldo +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Dvalishvili -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -250 | Under +170)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -210 | No +150)

[tipico]

UFC 278 Aldo vs. Dvalishvili picks and predictions

Records: Aldo (31-7-0) | Dvalishvili (14-4-0)

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

This has the potential to be the fight of the night, and it’s one of the most evenly matched bouts on the main card.

The Georgian fighter DVALISHVILI (-140) is a great technical fighter, and he wowed the judges in 6 straight fights from Sept. 2018 to May 2021, winning by unanimous decision in each outing. He’ll do it again here against Aldo (+110). Take DVALISHVILI BY POINTS (+135) for an even better value.

Over/Under (O/U)

Yes (-210): Fight to go the distance is too risky, as you must wager more than 2 times your potential return. Over 2.5 Rounds (-250) is an even worse play. Just stick with the method of victory and/or picking a winner on the 3-way line, and AVOID the Over/Under.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

UFC 278: Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 278 odds and lines between Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a middleweight bout on the main card, Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold meet Saturday at UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Below, we analyze the UFC 278 Costa vs. Rockhold odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-per-view.

Costa was dumped in Round 2 by KO/TKO against Israel Adesanya in a title bout at UFC 253, and he followed that up with a unanimous-decision loss to Marvin Vettori in the main event in October.

The 2 losses come on the heels of a 5-0 run to begin his UFC career, and 4 of those victories came via KO/TKO. He looks to get that mojo back in this one against the veteran Rockhold.

Rockhold lost in his light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz July 6, 2019. That’s the last time we saw him in a competitive bout inside the octagon. He had announced his retirement but reversed course to give it one more shot at the welterweight level.

Costa made weight for UFC 278, which is huge after he missed weight by 25 pounds last time out against Vettori. He looks chiseled, and focused.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 278 Costa vs. Rockhold odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Costa -370 (bet $370 to win $100) | Rockhold +265 (bet $100 to win $265)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -113 | Under -120)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +255 | No -400)

[tipico]

UFC 278 Costa vs. Rockhold picks and predictions

Records: Costa (13-2-0) | Rockhold (16-5-0)

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

Rockhold (+265) is back in the octagon for the first time in over 3 calendar years. There is concern about his conditioning and ability to go the distance considering the long layoff.

In addition, Costa (-370) looked chiseled at weigh-ins, and was vocal about his disdain for the USADA and their testing procedures. He looks to be focused more than ever, and ready to make a statement. However, risking nearly 4 times your potential return is not a good bet.

Instead, get specific. COSTA BY TKO/KO (-200) is still a little on the expensive side, but Rockhold has been knocked out in each of his past 2 fights, and he is likely to be fairly sluggish in this one.

Over/Under (O/U)

No (-380): Fight to go the distance will cost you nearly 4 times your return, and as we covered above, that’s not a good strategy.

Instead, play OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-113), and look for a Costa finish in the latter half of Round 2 or into Round 3. Rockhold might have had a long layoff, and a brief retirement, but he is a prideful fighter looking for one more moment in the sun. He won’t get rolled like last time out against Blachowicz.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 278 odds and lines between Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a welterweight championship bout in the main event, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards meet Saturday at UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Below, we analyze the UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-per-view.

The champ Usman holds a 2-inch reach advantage, and he also has an impressive 4.66-to-2.62 advantage in the significant strikes landed per minute category. He is also well ahead in takedown average at 3.00-to-1.48, while he is also accurate with a 49.02% takedown percentage.

Edwards has clawed his way into title contention with a 9-0-1 record since his loss to Usman in their first bout back in Dec. 2015. He lost that night by unanimous decision.

The Briton has 7 wins via decision during the 9-0-1 run with 1 no-contest against Belal Muhammad, a KO/TKO win over Peter Sobotta in March 2018, and a submission win over Albert Tumenov at UFC 204 in Oct. 2016.

Edwards posted the impressive win via unanimous decision against Nate Diaz last time out at UFC 263.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Usman -340 (bet $340 to win $100) | Edwards +250 (bet $100 to win $250)
  • Over/Under: 4.5 rounds (Over -170 | Under +122)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -180 | No +130)

[tipico]

UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards picks and predictions

Records: Usman (20-1-0) | Edwards (19-3-0)

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

Usman (-360) is heavily favored to retain his welterweight strap. However, you cannot risk more than 3 1/2 times your potential winnings, so let’s get specific.

Usman has successfully defended his title 5 times, including 3 KO/TKO victories. The most recent knockout came in Round 2 at UFC 261 over Jorge Masvidal in April 2021. Edwards tends to hang around, going the distance in 4 of his past 5 fights, and he lost via UD to Usman in the first meeting.

USMAN (-115) BY POINTS is the way to go here. Edwards won’t go quietly into the night as 10 of his past 12 fights have ended up going the distance.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (-180): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a little on the expensive side, but it’s a good play based upon Edwards’ history. The first meeting also ended up needing the judges to decide a winner. OVER 4.5 ROUNDS (-170) might be the better play, however, as it is cheaper, and allows for a little wiggle room in the event of a late finish.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]