UFC 249 goes off from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., Saturday night, the first live sporting event in the United States since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. While there will be no fans in attendance, that shouldn’t affect the wagering aspect of the event, giving sports-starved bettors finally something to wager on.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, May 7 at 8:35 p.m. ET.
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Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone betting odds
Per BetMGM, Pettis (-150) is favored over Cowboy (+125) on the 2-way betting line, but that’s not the wager to make.
Pettis is 9-9 in 18 bouts at the UFC level, while posting a 1-3 mark across the past four outings, and 4-8 in the past 12. He has been knocked out in three of his past eight appearances, while four of his previous six victories have come via submission. In other words, he doesn’t see the judges getting involved in his fights very often.
For Cerrone, he is 0-3 across his past three outings. However, while he has been knocked out in those losses, it has been against the cream of the crop in Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson – the latter two are the main event Saturday in a bout for the lightweight strap.
Meanwhile, Cowboy is back in the welterweight class, where he has a little more experience. He was knocked out by Pettis at UFC on FOX Jan. 26, 2013, and only three of his previous 17 bouts have gone the distance.
The best bet here is to take UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-125) in our three-piece parlay.
Also see:
- Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje odds, picks and best bets
- Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz odds, picks and best bets
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik odds, picks and best bets
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar odds, picks and best bets
- Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro odds, picks and best bets
Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson betting odds
Esparza (-159) is a moderate favorite over Waterson, a.k.a. “The Karate Hottie.” The latter hasn’t been so hot for bettors in the octagon lately, however, going just 3-3 in his past six bouts. More importantly, Waterson has gone the distance in each of her past five bouts.
For Esparza, all five of her victories have at the UFC level have come via decision, including four of the unanimous variety. She topped Alexa Grasso Sept. 21, 2019 by majority decision last time out. Avoid any bets on the 2-way line, but look to the OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-455) for part II of this three-fight parlay.
Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price betting odds
Luque (-304) is a heavy favorite in this early preliminary bout, but like the previous two fights, look to the round total play for the final play of our three-fight parlay.
Eight of Luque’s past 10 professional wins have come in the second round or earlier, and four of his past five have come via KO/TKO. Only one of his 10 victories have come via decision, too.
For Price, all 10 of his UFC fights have finished inside the distance, and he has never ventured into the third round in any of his bouts. Seven of the outcomes, win or lose, have been via knockout, with three coming by way of submission. He doesn’t leave it in the hands of the judges either way. As such, playing NO (-400) on WILL THE FIGHT GO THE FULL 3 ROUNDS? is the way to go.
New to sports betting? A $20 THREE-PLAY PARLAY wager on these three options will pay a little more than 1.74 to 1, netting a profit of $34.89.
- UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS IN PETTIS-CERRONE (-125)
- OVER 2.5 ROUNDS IN ESPARZA-WATERSON (-455)
- NO (-400) FIGHT GOES FULL 3 ROUNDS IN LUQUE-PRICE
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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.
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