UFC on ESPN 16: Yorgan De Castro vs. Carlos Felipe odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 16 fight between Yorgan De Castro and Carlos Felipe, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

In a heavyweight bout, Yorgan De Castro and Carlos Felipe lock horns at UFC on ESPN 16 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

De Castro (6-1), who represents Cabo Verde, is looking to rebound after a unanimous-decision setback at UFC 249 to former NFL linebacker Greg Hardy on May 9, 2020. Since arriving at the UFC level, he has a KO/TKO victory to his credit over Justin Tafa, and the loss to Hardy. He has just 2.19 significant strikes landed per minute, but a 41.96 to 36.36 significant strikes-accuracy percentage over his counterpart.

Felipe (8-1) had won his first eight professional MMA bouts, including six via TKO. However, Serghei Spivac beat him by majority decision on July 18, 2020 in his UFC debut. Now Felipe heads into this one as a decisive underdog against “The Mad Titan.”

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Yorgan De Castro vs. Carlos Felipe betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:22 a.m. ET.

De Castro (-250) is a little too expensive on the 2-way fight result line, so get specific. Take DE CASTRO BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (-121) for a lot less risk. While it’s a little more expensive than I normally care to wager, go with UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-209) rather than playing No (-286): “Will the fight go the distance?” I also like the fight to end in ROUND 2 (+330) for a solid little payday.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC on ESPN 16: Germaine de Randamie vs. Julianna Pena odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 16 fight between Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Pena, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

In a women’s bantamweight bout, Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Pena meet at UFC on ESPN 16 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

De Randamie (9-4) enters the octagon three inches taller than her opponent, while also holding a two-inch reach advantage. The Netherlands-born fighter has managed 2.72 significant strikes landed per minute with a 47.50 significant strike-accuracy percentage. She has been champing at the bit to get back into the octagon after falling to Amanda Nunes by unanimous decision at UFC 245 in a title bout. While four of her past seven fights have finished inside the distance, three of the previous four have gone the distance.

Pena (10-3) bounced back with a unanimous-decision win over Nicco Montano on July 13, 2019, in her most recent fight, ironically on a card featuring de Randamie in the main event. Pena was expected to fight on the UFC on ESPN 8 card, but “The Venezuelan Vixen” was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed injury. She has fought just once since Jan. 28, 2017, after missing time due to pregnancy and injury, so rust could be a factor here.

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Germaine de Randamie vs. Julianna Pena betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:02 a.m. ET.

DE RANDAMIE (-154) is a strong play on the 2-way line, taking the former champ. She has won five of her past six fights, including wins over decorated fighters like Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington. Three of de Randamie’s past four fights have gone the distance, too, so taking YES (-152): THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE is also a solid pick. Go with DE RANDAMIE ON POINTS (+230) to more than double up your stake, too, as Pena hasn’t fought very often over the past three years and she won’t be able to take down one of women’s top contenders.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Also see:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC on ESPN 16: Kyler Phillips vs. Cameron Else odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 16 fight between Kyler Phillips and Cameron Else, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

In a bantamweight bout, Kyler Phillips and Cameron Else tangle at UFC on ESPN 16 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Phillips (7-1) will be making his second appearances at the UFC level. He picked up a unanimous-decision victory over Gabriel Silva in his debut Feb. 29, 2020, on the Benavidez-Figueiredo card in Jacksonville. “The Matrix” has five fights that ended inside the distance in his eight career bouts, winning four by TKO/KO and one via submission.

Else (10-4) will make his UFC debut after pushing past Brad Evans by submission (guillotine) at Fusion FC 32 on Feb. 8, 2020. In his 14 career professional fights, only one has ended up going the distance, and that hasn’t happened since Feb. 15, 2014 at CWFC 64 against Spencer Hewitt. It will be interesting to see if “Camchida” struggles with his cardio if Phillips forces him to go deep into the fight. Else hasn’t had a fight go past Round 1 since June 24, 2017, and he has had nine of his 10 bouts end in Round 1 since that unanimous decision loss to Hewitt.

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Kyler Phillips vs. Cameron Else betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:42 a.m. ET.

Phillips (-455) is quite expensive on the 2-way line, so skip that. Instead, look to PHILLIPS BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (-162) on the 5-way line, as there is much less risk. In addition, playing UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-189) is a solid play, as Else hasn’t gone very deep into fights during his career, and Phillips has had five of his eight career fights end in the first round.

As I’ve suggested numerous times in the past, target two of three rounds for a fight finish. PHILLIPS IN ROUND 1 (+220) and PHILLIPS IN ROUND 2 (+350) are good plays. You will lose one of the bets but will still be ahead if the fight ends in the first two rounds with Phillips getting his hand raised.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Also see:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC on ESPN 16: Dequan Townsend vs. Dusko Todorovic odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 16 fight between Dequan Townsend and Dusko Todorovic, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

In a middleweight bout, Dequan Townsend and Dusko Todorovic square off at UFC on ESPN 16 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Townsend (21-11) will enter the octagon standing two inches taller than Todorovic (9-0), and he has a five-inch reach advantage. That’s all well and good, but he enters this one with three losses in three bouts since arriving at the UFC level, including a pair of unanimous decision setbacks and a KO/TKO loss to Dalcha Lungiambula on June 29, 2019. He has managed just 1.15 significant strikes landed per minute and a 35.88 significant strike-accuracy percentage.

Todorovic makes his UFC debut after posting a unanimous decision victory over Teddy Ash in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 3, Week 10. That was the only fight in nine career bouts to go the distance, as he has won by KO/TKO five times and via submission in three others. Six of his nine professional fights have ended in Round 1, so it will be interesting to see if the struggling Townsend can put up a little resistance.

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Dequan Townsend vs. Dusko Todorovic betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:15 a.m. ET.

Todorovic (-334) is heavily favored, and you must risk over three times your potential return. That’s not worth the risk, so be a little more specific with your wagers. TODOROVIC BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (+110) is a solid play at plus-money, although this prop doesn’t cash if he ends up winning by decision, or, of course, if he loses outright.

I like Todorovic to end this one before the distance, so take UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-118). Plus, look for the fight to end in ROUND 2 (+410) or ROUND 3 (+700). Yes, you’ll lose one end of this wager, but if the fight ends in either Round 2 or 3 you will be ahead considerably.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Also see:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC on ESPN 16: Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 16 fight between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

In a women’s bantamweight bout, Holly Holm and Irene Aldana do battle at UFC on ESPN 16 Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in the main event. The prelims kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Holm (13-5) will always be known as the woman who took down Ronda Rousey, easily her most famous fight and win back on Nov. 14, 2015 at UFC 193. “The Preacher’s Daughter” has gone just 3-5 since, including four title fight losses in four tries. Five of her past seven bouts have ended up going the distance, and she has won each of her past two decisions sandwiching a KO/TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 239. The southpaw has just 2.75 significant strikes landed per minute to 6.16 for her counterpart, and she also trails in significant strike-accuracy percentage at 38.98 to 35.21.

For Aldana (12-5), she looks to win her third consecutive bout. She is coming off a KO/TKO win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 235 on Dec. 14, 2019. She has tremendous punching power, but she has won just that one time against Vieira by KO/TKO in eight bouts since arriving at the UFC level. She also will want to avoid going to the mat, as Holm owns a 0.50 to 0.28 takedown average.

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:49 a.m. ET.

ALDANA (+100) is a nice play for the mild upset at even money. She is a whirling dervish with a lot more fury in her punches lately. As long as she can keep the fight upright, she’ll be able to push past Holm (-121), who is favored slightly over the Mexican fighter.

You can expect this one to go deep into the night, however, and ALDANA ON POINTS (+215) is an attractive play as well, as you can more than double up. If you’re not looking to pinpoint a specific winner, but like the fight to go to the judges, take FIGHT TO GO THE DECISION (-209) for the finish result and it doesn’t matter who wins.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Also see:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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