Tag: UFC Saudi Arabia betting odds lines picks and predictions best bets

UFC on ABC 6: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 odds between Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 6 — also known as UFC Saudi Arabia — at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ABC 6: Pavlovich vs. Volkov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at noon ET and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+.

Records: Whittaker (26-7-0) | Aliskerov (15-1-0)

Khamzat Chimaev was expected to face Whittaker in this main event, but Chimaev was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed health issue. In steps Aliskerov on short notice to face the former middleweight champion.

Whittaker suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 271 in Feb. 2022. It was a rematch of their fight in Oct. 2019, which resulted in a 2nd-round KO/TKO setback in another title bout.

Whittaker is just 2-2 in his past 4 bouts, with a KO/TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. He has ended up going the distance in 6 of his past 7 fights since July 25, 2020, and 8 of his past 10 bouts have needed the assistance of the judges to choose a winner.

The southpaw Aliskerov has made 2 appearances at the UFC level, winning via 1st-round KO/TKO against Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves to get on the fast track in the middleweight division. However, facing Whittaker is a huge step up in competition.

Aliskerov has a 2.5-inch reach advantage, but the former champ has tons more experience. Whittaker lands 4.57 significant strikes per minute and posts a 45.83% accuracy percentage on these strikes. He has a 38.10% takedown accuracy percentage, too, while posting a 0.81 takedown average.

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UFC on ABC 6: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:20 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Whittaker -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Aliskerov +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -150 | Under +115)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +165 | No -225)

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UFC on ABC 6: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

WHITTAKER (-150) will be able tap into his experience and wisdom at the UFC level to get the job done against Aliskerov (+125). The Russian challenger is an up-and-comer who has a bright future, but facing Whittaker will easily be his biggest challenge, and he is not quite ready.

Whittaker is not a punching machine, but he is technically superior, and he does all of the little things to keep all eyes on him, wowing the judges.

While playing Whittaker on the 2-way line is not priced out of line, going with WHITTAKER BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+250) on the 5-way line makes for a tidy little profit if he can go the distance and win.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-150) is worth a look, as it is expected the favorite will win via the distance.

If you’re a little more adventurous, want some action on the fight, and do not want to declare a winner, take YES (+165): WILL FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? at plus-money.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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

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UFC on ABC 6: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 odds between Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round middleweight bout on the main card, Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 6 — also known as UFC Saudi Arabia — at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ABC 6: Gastelum vs. Rodriguez odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at noon ET and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+.

Records: Gastelum (18-9-0) | Rodriguez (17-4-0)

The 32-year-old veteran Gastelum is looking to bounce back after a 3rd-round submission loss to Sean Brady last time out in early December. Prior to that, he had 4 straight unanimous decisions, with 2 wins and 2 losses in those outings. He has ended up going the distance in 7 of his past 9 bouts.

Gastelum fought Israel Adesanya for the middleweight strap in April 2019 at UFC 236, but he lost that fight, and he is now 2-6 in his past 8 fights, and simply looking to hang on with the company.

Rodriguez has dropped his past 2 fights, losing via 1st-round KO/TKO to Ian Machado Garry in May 2023 and suffering a submission loss to Neil Magny in Nov. 2022. His most recent win came via split decision against Li Jingliang at UFC 279, and he has ended up going the distance in 4 of his past 7 events.

The 37-year-old southpaw Rodriguez has an impressive 7.30 significant strikes landed per minute mark, with Gastelum checking in at just 3.55 per minute. Rodriguez is much more accurate, too, landing 51.72% of those strikes, to just 46.44% for Gastelum.

Gastelum has a 0.96-to-0.62 takedown average advantage, while Rodriguez is more accurate in that department, too, posting a 50.00% takedown accuracy percentage, to just 30.65% for the veteran Gastelum. The difference in submission average is rather negligible.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ABC 6: Gastelum vs. Rodriguez odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:50 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Gastelum -210 (bet $210 to win $100) | Rodriguez +175 (bet $100 to win $175)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -225 | No +165)

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UFC on ABC 6: Gastelum vs. Rodriguez picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Backing Gastelum (-210) straight up will set you back more than 2 times your potential return. That’s risky because it is so expensive, and because the veteran has won just 2 times in the past 8 bouts.

Rodriguez (+175) is tempting at this price based on his tremendous significant strikes advantage, both in frequency and accuracy. However, he has fought a lot of tomato cans in his UFC career, and he has wilted against some of the better competition.

With both of these fighters going the distance so frequently, GASTELUM BY DECISION (+100) on the 5-way or 7-way line at even-money is a much better value. Of course, if he scores a KO/TKO or submission win, you do not cash, so be careful.

Over/Under (O/U)

Yes (-225): Will the fight go the distance? sets your back more than 2 times. That’s super expensive, so PASS on that as a straight up wager.

However, it isn’t a bad idea to toss in YES (-225) as part of a multi-leg parlay.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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

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UFC on ABC 6: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 odds between Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round heavyweight bout on the main card, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 6 — also known as UFC Saudi Arabia — at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ABC 6: Pavlovich vs. Volkov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at noon ET and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+.

Records: Pavlovich (18-2-0) | Volkov (37-10-0)

The 32-year-old Pavlovich made his first attempt for the heavyweight championship belt against Tom Aspinall at UFC 295 in mid-November 2023, but he was knocked out in Round 1 by the Englishman. In fact, all 8 of his fights at the UFC level have resulted in KO/TKO, each in Round 1, with 6 victories and 2 setbacks.

The veteran Volkov streaks in with 3 straight victories, all with a finish. He submitted Tai Tuivasa in Round 2 at UFC 293 last time out in Sept. 2023, while posting a pair of Round 1 KO/TKO wins over Alexandr Romanov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik since June 2022. His last loss came against Aspinall in the main event March 19, 2022.

Each of Volkov’s past 4 fights have finished inside the distance, while Pavlovich hasn’t had a decision since winning the belt at FNG: Fight Nights Global 68 against Mikhail Mokhnatkin in June 2017.

Pavlovich holds a 4-inch reach advantage, and the southpaw has an 8.21-to-5.10 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Volkov is much more accurate with those strikes at 62.16%, while Pavlovich lands just 49.51% of those strikes.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ABC 6: Pavlovich vs. Volkov odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:22 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Pavlovich -250 (bet $250 to win $100) | Volkov +195 (bet $100 to win $195)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +120 | Under -160)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -225 | No +165)

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UFC on ABC 6: Pavlovich vs. Volkov picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Pavlovich (-250) will set you back 2½ times your potential return, and that’s too much risk for not enough reward in this battle of Russian fighters.

The veteran Volkov (+195) is tempting at this price for the chance to nearly double up. However, in this battle of Russian fighters, Pavlovich should use his tremendous reach advantage to push and pull Volkov out at his leisure, picking and choosing his spots to deliver blows, before backing it out and keeping himself from incurring a lot of unnecessary damage.

Let’s get a little more specific. PAVLOVICH IN ROUND 1 (+100) at even-money is a strong play in the round betting department. He hasn’t been past the 4:21 mark of Round 1 in any of his 8 bouts, and that happened in his UFC debut back in Nov. 2018 against veteran Alistair Overeem.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 1.5 ROUNDS (-160) has a rather moderate price tag, but it’s worth playing. Pavlovich has never been to Round 2 at the UFC level, and this bet could see this fight end at 2:30 of Round 2 or earlier and still cash.

No (-450): Will the fight go the distance? is not a recommended play, as you must risk 4½ times your potential return. That’s way too much risk, and you likely won’t be able to fold it into a multi-leg parlay to mitigate the risk.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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

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