UFC 281: Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 281 odds and lines between Dan Hooker and Claudio Puelles, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

It a lightweight bout on the main card, Dan Hooker will face Claudio Puelles on Saturday at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the UFC 281: Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims and prelims are available on ESPN+ with the early prelims at 6 p.m. ET and the prelims at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is available via pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

Hooker looks to get back on track after dropping 4 of his last 5 fights. He’s bounced between featherweight and lightweight in his career and lost his last fight by 1st round TKO to Arnold Allen in March. Hooker’s last 3 losses all came in the 1st round.

Puelles is coming off a 1st-round submission victory over Clay Guida which earned him Performance of the Night at UFC Fight Night 205 in April. Puelles is currently on a 5-bout win streak, with 4 of those victories coming in the 3rd round. Seven of Puelles’ wins have been by submission — he’s won with his deadly kneebar in 3 of his 6 fights in the UFC.

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UFC 281: Hooker vs. Puelles odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 4 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Hooker -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Puelles +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +110 | Under -150)
  • Will the fight go the distance? Yes (+135) | No (-190)

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UFC 281: Hooker vs. Puelles picks and predictions

Records: Dan Hooker (21-12) | Claudio Puelles (13-2)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

This is a tough matchup because Hooker’s recent string of losses came against a higher level of competition than Puelles’ recent wins. Hooker’s experience and striking ability (4.91 strikes landed per minute to 1.99 by Puelles) give him an edge over Puelles in the striking game, while Puelles’ quickness and aptitude for squeezing in submissions make him a wild card that’s tough to bet against.

This fight will come down to whether Puelles can get Hooker on the ground and keep him off guard with strikes and sneaky submission attempts. The last 4.5 years have shown us that Puelles can do that, so I’d lean toward PUELLES (+130) to capture the win by submission and climb the UFC’s lightweight ranks.

Over/Under (O/U)

Puelles has a tendency to struggle early before catching his opponents in a submission for the win. With that in mind, it’s difficult to say in which round he’ll pull that off against Hooker. That’s why it’s best to AVOID the Over/Under for this bout.

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UFC 281: Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 281 odds and lines between Frankie Edgar and Chris Gutierrez, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight bout on the main card, Frankie Edgar will take on Chris Gutierrez on Saturday at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the UFC 281: Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims and prelims are available on ESPN+ with the early prelims at 6 p.m. ET and the prelims at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is available via pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

This will be Edgar’s big sendoff as he announced that he will retire from MMA after Saturday’s fight. The 41-year-old former UFC Lightweight Champion has made quite a name for himself since joining the company in 2007. “The Answer” has dropped 4 of his last 5 fights, losing his last 2 by KO/TKO, including a 3rd round defeat to Marlon Vera at UFC 268 on Nov. 6, 2021, in his last bout. Edgar is 1-2 since making his bantamweight debut in August 2020.

Gutierrez is hitting his prime at 31 years old. “El Guapo” is 6-0-1 in his last 7 fights, winning his last bout against Danaa Batgerel by KO/TKO in March, finishing things in the 2nd round with a spinning back fist and a flurry of elbows. That win earned Gutierrez Performance of the Night accolades.

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UFC 281: Edgar vs. Gutierrez odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Edgar +190 (bet $100 to win $190) | Gutierrez -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -190 | Under +135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? Yes (-145) | No (+105)

Claim your risk-free bet up to $350. Catch the excitement and start betting with Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Bet now!

UFC 281: Edgar vs. Gutierrez picks and predictions

Records: Edgar (23-10-1) | Gutierrez (18-3-2)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Gutierrez is 10 years younger and 3 inches taller but Edgar has much more fight experience and will give his all in his final fight. Edgar should lean on his grappling experience and try to take this fight to the mat. He boasts a takedown average of 2.3 to Gutierrez’s 0.44 average.

Gutierrez is much more refined as a striker with an impressive 59% significant striking accuracy compared to Edgar’s 41%. Gutierrez will try to keep this fight off the ground and look for holes in Edgar’s striking game to land a couple of nice blows.

In the end, Gutierrez is on a tremendous run and climbing the ranks of the UFC’s bantamweight division. While Edgar is the better grappler, Gutierrez has a pretty good takedown defense (73%) so he should be able to keep this fight standing up and control the striking game, maybe notching a TKO or KO in the process.

However, the moneyline payout on Gutierrez (-230) isn’t great, so PASS on this straight up but feel free to include it in a parlay.

Over/Under (O/U)

Four of Edgar’s last 6 fights went over 2.5 rounds while 5 of Gutierrez’s last 7 have gone over as well. Edgar’s cardio is great for his age and he’ll use that to his advantage, so it seems likely that this one will hit the 3rd round.

LEAN OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-190).

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Want action on this UFC fight or any other sports matchup? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’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 Wesley Roesch on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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