In the lightweight main event, Paul Felder and Rafael Dos Anjos meet at UFC on ESPN+ 41 – also called UFC Fight Night 182 – Saturday at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.
Felder (17-5) was originally set to join the broadcast for Islam Makhachev vs. Rafael Dos Anjos as a color commentator. When Makhachev pulled out due to an undisclosed injury, Felder texted his manager, reportedly partly in jest, to get him into the vacated spot. Less than 48 hours after Makhachev pulled out, Felder was in and getting ready to face RDA in Vegas. Felder hasn’t fought since Feb. 22, a split-decision setback in the main event against Dan Hooker in Auckland, New Zealand. Felder was reportedly considering retirement after that loss. However, he has been keeping busy, and was training for a triathlon during some downtime due to COVID-19. So he is in tremendous shape and ready to go, and he’ll get a nice little payday for his efforts, too.
Dos Anjos (29-13) tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 24, postponing a previously scheduled fight with Makhachev. This will be Dos Anjos’ first fight since bumping down from welterweight to lightweight. He is 1-4 across his past five bouts, including a title fight loss to Colby Covington on June 9, 2018. He also has losses to Kamaru Usman and Michael Chiesa during the span, but there’s no shame in losses to those studs. He was a bit overmatched as a welterweight, which is likely why he decided to drop down and try another path.
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Paul Felder vs. Rafael Dos Anjos: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:19 a.m. ET.
Dos Anjos (-200) will cost you two times your potential return, and that’s a bit risky, even with Felder (+165) stepping in on short notice. He is a wild card, and you just never know.
Still, Felder was just considering retirement after his latest loss, and his mindset is a bit of a question. He wasn’t even thinking about fighting until a week ago, so can he be trusted, especially against a former champ? That’s what makes DOS ANJOS BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (+245) such a tremendous play. You can pick up almost two and a half times your investment if he can finish with a stoppage. As such, NO (+135): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is also a sharp play and a good value. However, I’d only be willing to go UNDER 4.5 ROUNDS (+150), and no earlier. This one isn’t going to be a quick one- or two-round bout, even if Felder has only known he is fighting for five days. He is still a top fighter at this division, and it is the first fight for Dos Anjos as a lightweight.
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Also see:
- UFC on ESPN+ 41 predictions (MMA Junkie)
- MMA Junkie – The latest UFC/MMA coverage
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