The UFC is back in action this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, with a lineup of great fights. The main event bout is between two top featherweights in, Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria.
Emmett has quietly made his way to the top of the division and looks to bounce back from losing the interim title bout to the great Yair Rodriguez earlier this year. Topuria bursted onto the scene when he got into an altercation at a London hotel with Paddy Pimblett, and has send followed up with dominant performances in the octagon.
Will Emmett have what it takes to slow the momentum of Topuria and keep his spot in the title picture? Or is there a new name in town that will go out and get himself the next title shot?
Let’s take a look at the available betting lines and make the best bets possible for this weekend’s major fight. We will also give the best pick for the co-main event bout, a women’s flyweight matchup between Amanda Ribas and Maycee Barber.
Check out the UFC Main Event odds on Bookmaker
Main Event – Emmett vs. Topuria
BetOnline has Topuria as the major betting favorite at -310. Emmett is coming in as the +285 underdog, with plenty of value for a guy of his skillset.
Topuria hasn’t been an underdog since his UFC debut, and you shouldn’t expect him to be too many more times in his career; outside of the inevitable matchup against Volkanovski.
Shockingly, Emmett has been the betting underdog in 8 out of his last 9 UFC fights. This guy has flown under the radar for literally his whole career and has proved plenty of doubters wrong.
From a technical standpoint, Topuria honestly looks like the clearly better fighter. Even with Emmett being way more experienced, the 26-year-old Spaniard looks like he can’t be beaten right now. He brings so much violence into the octagon and pairs that with very good technical skills in both striking and grappling.
This is an easy pick in Topuria’s favor this Saturday. Emmett deserved bigger fights a few years ago, but at age 38 it will be tough to compete with the explosiveness of Topuria.
Since -310 is not a good line to make a play on, let’s look at a prop bet that you can cash out with. BetOnline has the over 2.5 rounds at +185, but that is a dangerous bet to make with both of these guys having one-punch KO power.
We are going with Topuria winning by submission at +140 this weekend over the very durable Josh Emmett. There will be some big shots landed that might knock Emmett down, but Topuria loves to lock up a submission with his opponent on the ground.
Co-Main Event – Ribas vs. Barber
These two women flyweights will be up for the task of setting the table for the main event this Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville. Ribas comes from a great BJJ background and has shown improvements every time she steps into the cage.
Barber is full of confidence and shows some very dangerous striking with sharp technique and plenty of speed. Ribas is always there to get hit, so the nod goes to Barber in the striking exchanges.
With Barber coming in at +168 odds at BetOnline, this underdog pick is very justifiable and a solid option. Ribas tends to kind of get into a state of mind where it looks like she is going through the motions, marching forward, and getting punched in the face–she can’t do that in front of Barber.
To bang the book, go with Ribas winning by submission at +450–she’s a high-level BJJ blackbelt. If you are a Barber fan and want a huge prop bet to make… go with Barber winning a decision at +350.
