Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar tangle in a featherweight bout on the main card at UFC 249 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with the main card on pay-per-view.
Kattar (20-4-0) is the heavy favorite in this one, and most of the stats are heavily skewed in his favor. First off, “The Boston Finisher” holds a two-inch height advantage and a one-inch reach advantage. More impressively, he has a 5.12-3.09 advantage in significant strikes landed per minute, while posting a 41.08 significant strike accuracy percentage.
Kattar has won each of his past three UFC wins by KO/TKO, including the past two in Round 1. His only two losses at the UFC level have come by unanimous decision. One thing to remember, when looking to method of victory, is that Kattar has never won or lost one of his 16 professional bouts by submission. He is 2-0 across his past two UFC fights as the favorite.
For Stephens, he is just 15-14-1 in 30 bouts at the UFC level, including 0-3-1 with one no contests across the past four. Like Kattar, he doesn’t go to the mat very often, and none of his 26 professional fights have results in a submission win or loss, so this fight will be one either by KO/TKO or points. Across the past seven fights, Stephens is 2-4-1 as an underdog, too.
Want to place a bet on UFC 249? Place them at BetMGM. New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday, May 6 at 8:50 p.m. ET.
Kattar (-250) is a rather heavy favorite on the 2-way line, but that’s the way to go. It’s very hard to envision a way Stephens (+200) gets it done against the more consistent fighter.
In addition, we mentioned above that Kattar doesn’t go to the mat for the finish, so avoid being tempted by Kattar to win by submission (+1100). Instead, focus on the KO/TKO or DQ WIN PROP BY KATTAR (+300), which can help you triple up your initial bet. Lastly, if you look to the Total number of rounds, UNDER 2.5 (+145) is quite attractive with two fighters standing toe-to-toe looking to land big knockout blows. “The Boston Finisher” will finish Stephens early, perhaps even in the opening round, which makes KATTAR TO WIN IN ROUND 1 (+550) an attractive play as well. If not, hedging on Kattar to win in Round 2 (+800) is also worth a look.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Kattar (-250) to win returns a $4 profit. A $10 bet on Kattar to win by KO/TKO or DQ (+300) earns a $30 profit, while a bet on the fight going less than 2.5 rounds (+145) returns a $14.50 profit. The real nice hit would be if Kattar wins in Round 1 (+550), profiting $55 on a $10 wager.
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.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]