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In a 5-round women’s strawweight championship bout on the main card, Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos meet at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston Saturday. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
Records: Zhang (23-3-0) | Lemos (13-2-1)
The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims start at 8 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.
Zhang lost her championship belt at UFC 261 against Rose Namajunas, as she was knocked out in short order in Round 1. She got another crack at it at UFC 268, and went the distance, falling via split decision.
After knocking out Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275, and sending her to retirement, Zhang got a crack at Carla Esparza for another title shot. She reclaimed the strap last time out at UFC 281, winning via 2nd-round submission.
Lemos gets her first title shot after a pair of stoppages against Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Marina Rodriguez. In fact, the Brazilian fighter has ended up going the distance just once in the past 6 outings, winning 3 times via KO/TKO, while going 1-1 by way of submission.
The 36-year-old Lemos holds a 2-inch reach advantage, while Zhang owns a 5.79-to-4.51 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Lemos is a little more accurate, landing 61.19% of her significant strikes, to just 53.44% for the champ. Zhang has a 1.97 takedown average, to just 1.12 for Lemos, but the challenger is much more accurate in that department, with a 55.56% takedown accuracy percentage to Zhang’s 34.21%.
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UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:30 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Zhang -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Lemos +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
- Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over +165 | Under -225)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +250 | No -375)
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UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
This will be quite a bout, and Zhang (-350) will get all she can handle from the challenger Lemos (+260). In fact, it’s tempting to take “Amandinha” for the upset.
However, Zhang has that championship pedigree, and she knows what it takes to beat everyone but Namajunas.
ZHANG ON POINTS (+350) is worth a look, rather than playing her straight up, and it’s a good bet to multiply your initial wager by 3 1/2 times.
Over/Under (O/U)
YES (+250): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is not what the books are thinking, but it’s a great opportunity to more than double up.
Lemos hasn’t gone the distance very much since arriving at the UFC level, but this will easily be her biggest test. Zhang has ended up going the distance in 4 of her 9 fights at the UFC level, and this title bout will be no different, as she uses her experience and reach advantage to keep Lemos at bay.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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