Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 222, which is set to hit T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., March 3, 2018), including best bets, underdogs, favorites, and much more!
Another Invicta FC female champion enters the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Featherweight meat grinder this Saturday (March 3, 2018) when its Bantamweight roost ruler, Yana Kunitskaya, goes up a weight class to take on UFC’s 145-pound queenpin, Cris Cyborg, in the main event of UFC 222, live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Over on the men’s side of the division, perennial title contender Frankie Edgar throws down with the surging Brian Ortega, while crowd-pleasers Andre Soukhamthath and Sean O’Malley duke it out t10 pounds south.
It’s iffy whether UFC 222’s PPV main card is worth $60, but here’s how to pay for it with no skin off your back just in case.
What Went Wrong at UFC on FOX 28?
Well, for one thing, Gilbert Burns decided it would be a good idea to be over 180 pounds during fight week and got his ass yanked, which threw off the balance of my betting amounts and left me in the red despite going 1-1. Normally, I use this part to give props to the fighters I underestimated, but I genuinely think Eric Shelton badly underperformed. There’s just something missing in his game … some measure of urgency? Nevertheless, his potential is still sky-high, but something’s gotta change.
UFC 222 Odds For The Undercard:
Mackenzie Dern (-380) vs. Ashley Yoder (+315)
Beneil Dariush (-380) vs. Alexander Hernandez (+315)
John Dodson (-175) vs. Pedro Munhoz (+155)
Hector Lombard (-145) vs. C.B. Dollaway (+125)
Zak Ottow (-280) vs. Mike Pyle (+240)
Cody Stamann (-165) vs. Bryan Caraway (+145)
Jordan Johnson (-310) vs. Adam Milstead (+255)
Thoughts: Yeah, this really isn’t that great a card, but it does have plenty of betting potential. I like the lines on Dodson, Pyle and Bryan Caraway.
I went over my reasons for picking Dodson the last time these two were supposed to fight, but in short, Munhoz will almost certainly struggle to take him down and “The Young Punisher’s” striking isn’t polished enough to avoid Dodson’s monster left hand. It’ll be a stand up battle that Munhoz simply does not have the technique to win.
Pyle is 42 years old and coming off of two ridiculously savage knockout losses, but it’s worth noting that the four men who’ve finished him since 2011 were Matt Brown, Jordan Mein, Alberto Mina and Alex Garcia, all of whom have exponentially more stopping power than Ottow. Ottow has no (technical) knockout finishes in his last nine fights and has looked mediocre even in victory. Pyle is the more dangerous striker, the stronger wrestler, and the more fearsome submission artist. Year-long layoff or no, he wins this.
In his last fight, Caraway held his own in the wrestling against a stud takedown artist in Aljamain Sterling. In the fight before that, he outclassed Eddie Wineland on the feet without landing a single takedown. Stamann is a strong wrestler with serviceable striking, but he was losing to Tom Duquesnoy before “Fire Kid’s” gas tank rank out. I’ve got “Kid Lightning” here even if he hasn’t fought since May 2016.
UFC 222 Odds For The Main Card:
Cristiane Justino (-1700) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (+1100)
Frankie Edgar (-170) vs. Brian Ortega (+150)
Andre Soukhamthath (-140) vs. Sean O’Malley (+120)
Stefan Struve (-185) vs. Andrei Arlovski (+160)
Ketlen Vieira (-145) vs. Cat Zingano (+125)
Thoughts: Edgar is going to hit-and-run Ortega to death for 15 one-sided minutes.
I’ve underestimated Ortega before. I’ve unfairly disparaged his abilities. Yet, I still think Edgar should be favored more than Stefan friggin’ Struve. Ortega’s wrestling just isn’t there — he forces clinches with relentless pressure or baits takedowns. That’s not a strategy that will work against a smart, fleet-footed boxer like Edgar who’s scrambled out of a Benson Henderson guillotine and been kicked in the head by Jeremy Stephens without losing his composure. Edgar picks him apart all night.
UFC 222 Best Bets:
- Single bet — John Dodson: Bet $100 to make $57.14
- Single bet — Mike Pyle: Bet $50 to make $120
- Single bet — Bryan Caraway: Bet $60 to make $87
- Single bet — Frankie Edgar: Bet $125 to make $71.42
Edgar vs. Ortega ought to be a hoot and, while the main event is a grievous mismatch, at least Cyborg generally makes gruesome spectacles out of mismatches. See you Saturday, Maniacs!