Photo by Michael Owens/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 244, which is set to hit Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., this weekend (Sat., Nov. 2, 2019), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!
The most hotly anticipated “title-free” Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pay-per-view (PPV) event of 2019 hits your screens this Saturday (Nov. 2, 2019) when Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz duke it out for the BMF belt inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Before those two trade hands in UFC 244’s main event, Kelvin Gastelum welcomes Darren Till to the Middleweight division and Stephen Thompson looks to end his current rut against fellow finisher Vicente Luque.
Before that, though, we’ve got some odds to check out. Shall we?
What Went Wrong at UFC Singapore?
Jeff Hughes went from gleefully slugging it out with Todd Duffee to being terminally gunshy against Raphael Pessoa, resulting in an insanely frustrating decision loss. Luckily, Randa Markos and Movsar Evloev pulled through in closer-than-expected battles, while Muslim Salikhov showed his elite striking against Alex White. Fortunately, a win is a win.
UFC 244 Odds For The Under Card:
Johnny Walker (-155) vs. Corey Anderson (+135)
Shane Burgos (-250) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (+210)
Edmen Shahbazyan (-120) vs. Brad Tavares (EVEN)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-155) vs. Andrei Arlovski (+135)
Katlyn Chookagian (-160) vs. Jennifer Maia (+140)
Lyman Good (-130) vs. Chance Rencountre (+110)
Hakeem Dawodu (-130) vs. Julio Arce (+110)
Thoughts: Chance Rencountre and Hakeem Dawodu are the incredibly asymmetrical picks of choice.
Lyman Good is a powerhouse with solid boxing, but his only win in the last four years came over the insanely fragile Ben Saunders and he gave up takedowns to Elizeu Zaleski and Demian Maia. Rencountre proved against Ismail Naurdiev that he can absorb an insane amount of punishment and threaten takedowns for all 15 minutes, which are enough for me to pick him against Good.
Dawodu just seems to have every edge over Julio Arce — he hits harder, has more weapons in his striking arsenal, and has advantages in both height and reach. Arce’s only real x-factor is his grappling.
UFC 244 Odds For The Main Card:
Jorge Masvidal (-160) vs. Nate Diaz (+140)
Kelvin Gastelum (-210) vs. Darren Till (+175)
Stephen Thompson (-135) vs. Vicente Luque (+115)
Blagoy Ivanov (-125) vs. Derrick Lewis (+105)
Gregor Gillespie (-175) vs. Kevin Lee (+155)
Thoughts: Picking against Derrick Lewis goes against all of my proclamations about not betting on fights featuring lots of one-shot power, but I can’t resist. Ivanov has a terrific chin, good grappling, and a great motor, all of which indicate that he won’t fall victim to the classic Lewis, “wait until they burn themselves out and then knock them silly” tactic. I can already taste the foot in my mouth, but give it a whirl.
UFC 244 Best Bets:
- Single bet — Chance Rencountre: Bet $80 to make $88
- Single bet — Hakeem Dawodu: Bet $65 to make $50
- Single bet — Blagoy Ivanov: Bet $62.50 to make $50
Even if you strip away the belt gimmick, Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz is guaranteed fireworks. See you Saturday, Maniacs!
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 244 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 244: “Masvidal vs. Diaz” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.