UFC 279 features a number of classic veteran vs. prospect matchups, with a number of big names involved.
Khamzat Chimaev, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and Kevin Holland will all feature in a rare PPV event that has no title fight at the top. However, there is still value on this card.
Join us at LowKickMMA, as we break down UFC 279 and share our top 3 bets for this intriguing card.
Daniel Rodriguez ML
Our first pick is Daniel Rodriguez to overcome Kevin Holland in this explosive main card catchweight bout.
Kevin Holland is a relatively heavy favorite in a fight that is incredibly close on paper. Holland is a slick, skillful striker with a perpetual reach advantage and lethal submissions.
Rodriguez is a more conventional boxer, who will mix in low leg kicks and the odd roundhouse. His takedown defense is solid, and he has proved on more than one occasion that his chin is made of granite.
Holland is certainly exciting, and may well have great success early on. But when the ‘Trailblazer’ begins to see his best shots land and have little to no impact, he likely begin to falter. This, paired with the fact that ‘D-Rod’ will be firing back at a consistently high paced clip, could be enough to break Holland.
Regardless of how the fight does play out, the line is simply too wide. As a result, we are taking Daniel Rodriguez’s ML, which Betway have priced at 2.62.
The war of words spills over Saturday
@Trailblaze2top and Daniel Rodriguez bringing HEAT to the #UFC279 main card! pic.twitter.com/6TmmLegk6Q
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 8, 2022
Yohan Lainesse ML
Another fight the bookies seem to have lined incorrectly is the opening bout of the night between Yohan Lainesse and Darian Weeks.
Both men are coming off losses, with Weeks coming up short against Bryan Barberena and Ian Garry, and Lainesse failing to overcome Gabe Green in his UFC debut.
However, even in his loss to Green, Lainesse still looked very impressive. It is also worth noting that ‘The White Lion’ picked up a brutal KO victory over Chris Duncan on the contender series, Duncan has since been signed to the UFC.
Lainesse is also the more experienced fighter in terms of pro MMA, holding an 8-1 record, compared to Weeks’ 6-2 record. Lainesse is the bigger man, and also has a longer reach than Weeks.
All these factors point to Lainesse being a clear favorite, and yet he can still be found at plus money. The pick is Yohan ‘White Lion’ Lainesse’s ML, priced at 2.00 on Betway.
Yohan Lainesse sat him DOWN
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 7, 2022
Hakeem Dawodu ML & Jailton Almeida ITD
Our final bet will be a parlay from two preliminary fights.
First is Hakeem Dawodu to overcome Julian Erosa. Dawodu is an extremely talented striker who tends to win if his opponents can’t get the fight to the ground. His only loss in recent memory is to Movsar Evloev, arguably one of the best wrestlers in the division. Erosa is an extremely fun fighter who loves to brawl. However, this will likely be to his detriment in this bout, as Dawodu will pick him off at range, with either a late KO or decision victory the most likely outcome.
Second is Jailton Almeida to defeat Anton Turkalj inside the distance. Almeida is an absolute wrecking ball of a fighter, having finished his past 11 opponents before the fight hit the third round. He takes on Turkalj, who is stepping up on short notice. Almeida really should make this fight look easy, despite the fact that Turkalj has the potential to become a solid prospect in the future.
Parlaying Dawodu’s ML with Almeida ITD will give you a price of 1.97 on Betway.
Welcome to the UFC, Jailton Almeida!
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 5, 2022
