The UFC is back again this weekend with another event from the APEX in Las Vegas. This event is going to be headlined by an interesting middleweight matchup between #7-ranked Sean Strickland and unranked Abus Magomedov.
Strickland has made it known to the media that he took this fight because his only other option was to sit out for at least 6 months until a top-10 middleweight was available. With seemingly a win/win scenario for Magomedov this weekend, who will come out on top?
Along with this main event, this card is stacked with a bunch of highly-touted prospects meeting each other in the octagon. Cards like the one the UFC put together this weekend are reminders of why the UFC is the best promotion in combat sports. They put the absolute best against the best every weekend.
Let’s take a look at the best bets to make on this UFC on ESPN 48 card this weekend.
Check out UFC Fight Night odds on BetUS
Main Event – Strickland vs. Magomedov
To highlight the main event first, BetOnline has Strickland as the betting favorite with -170 odds. Magomedov comes in at +145 odds as the underdog but the lines are changing constantly as fight night creeps closer.
When the odds opened up as Strickland being a pretty big favorite, this was the easiest underdog bet in a long time for the UFC. Now the line is getting close probably because so much of the public is betting on Magomedov.
Strickland has an interesting mindset where it seems like he thinks he’s better than everybody, but then you see him train with former opponent Alex Pereira. But then during this fight week, he talks to the media about how he won all the rounds against Pereira sparring. It’s actions like that that seem to make Strickland unlikable.
The public might be swayed by Strickland’s personality and want him to lose–that’s why we need to mention that and remember to look deeper into the matchup to see why the odds are the way they are.
On the technical side of this matchup, the awkward style of Strickland is a bad way to fight someone with Magomedov’s skillset. Magomedov has an elite level of kickboxing skill and can throw some devastating kicks from out of Strickland’s preferred range.
The Magomedov moneyline as the underdog is the pick to make and cash out on for this main event. Hopefully, you were able to make the bet before the line continues to move closer to pick ‘em territory.
Other Key Fights
Another interesting fight to watch for is the Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales welterweight bout on the main card. Morales has a bunch of hype and an undefeated record, but Griffin is a seasoned veteran of MMA and has been in the octagon with many of the best to ever do it.
Griffin is the dark horse underdog pick this weekend at +195 according to BetOnline sportsbook. He has tons of confidence coming into this week and believes he has the game plan put together to give the 23-year-old his first loss.
Lastly, the easiest bet to make this weekend is to fade anyone who is telling you that Kevin Lee is going to be back to his contender form and beat the highly-skilled Rinat Fakhretdinov this weekend.
Enjoy the rest of the fights with plenty of upcoming talent in multiple divisions. With all these athletes being early in their UFC careers and unknown to the general public, winning bets is very difficult to do and it’s more about being lucky. Bet responsibly.
