UFC 298 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!

Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 298, which is set to hit Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., this weekend (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

One of the pound-for-pound mixed martial arts (MMA) greats returns to his proper weight class this Saturday (Feb. 17, 2024) when Featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski, battles the heretofore unstoppable, Ilia Topuria, inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. UFC 298 also hosts Robert Whittaker’s long-awaited (and pivotal) battle with Paulo Costa and Geoff Neal’s attempt to silence outspoken prospect, Ian Machado Garry.

Did you bet on the 49ers last week? Let’s see if we can’t fill that hole in your wallet …

What Went Wrong at UFC Vegas 86?

Zac Pauga

He had the right gameplan — tearing up Bogdan Guskov’s lead leg and using his speed advantage to plug him with straights — but his chin proved more fragile than I anticipated.

Robert Bryczek

It appears I overestimated the value of first round knockouts against mediocre European Middleweights. Still, that was a genuinely baffling performance — I’ve seen Bryczek come out flat, but he almost looked like he was sleepwalking in there.

Devin Clark

The only thing Clark is good at is pushing the pace and he couldn’t even do that. That’s on me for thinking he had some redeeming value.

Daniel Marcos

Not his fault, but watching him sob over losing half his pay because his opponent jumped at the wrong time made me reconsider whether I still want to support this organization.

Jeremiah Wells

I thought he edged it out — as did most of my peers — but I’m less annoyed with the judges than I am with Wells for giving up in the third.

What Went Right?

Rodolfo Vieira, Gregory Rodrigues and Jack Hermansson

Well-executed gameplans won the day.

UFC 298 Odds For The Under Card:

Amanda Lemos (-130) vs. Mackenzie Dern (+110)

I have admittedly underestimated Dern in the past, but these lines seem overly generous. We just watched her get torn apart on the feet by someone significantly shorter than Lemos three months ago, and though Lemos doesn’t have Andrade’s brute strength or ridiculous volume, her one-shot power is similar or greater. Dern doesn’t have the takedowns to put Lemos through the grinder like Zhang Weili did and her upright chin is just begging for “Amandinha” to punch a hole through it.

Marcos Rogerio de Lima (-142) vs. Justin Tafa (+120)

Part of self-care is not convincing yourself to bet on a “Pezao” fight. His fight IQ is a sinusoidal wave that goes through a full cycle every ten minutes and it’s unhealthy to try and figure it out.

Rinya Nakamura (-1350) vs. Carlos Vera (+800)

Can’t exactly argue with these odds, but betting on 13-to-1 odds in a sport this chaotic is just asking for trouble. The Over 2.5 at -190 seems decent, though; Vera has never been knocked out and Nakamura’s submission skills haven’t caught up to his wrestling yet.

Zhang Mingyang (-130) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (+110)

I really like Zhang here. Having watched several of their respective fights, “Mountain Tiger” is the more well-rounded and durable of the pair, not to mention a fair bit faster. Even with his limited experience and questionable strength of schedule, he’s worth a look.

Danny Barlow (-198) vs. Josh Quinlan (+164)

Low-to-moderate bet on Barlow. Though Quinlan’s power and low kicks are a threat, his complete inability to close the gap on Trey Waters bodes ill for his chance against a sharpshooter with an eight-inch reach advantage.

Oban Elliott (-305) vs. Val Woodburn (+245)

Use Elliott to anchor a parlay. He’s better than Woodburn everywhere and showed off a ridiculous chin against Kaik Brito, so it’s hard to imagine Woodburn clipping him for the upset.

Miranda Maverick (-180) vs. Andrea Lee (+150)

Maverick strikes me as a safe investment. Both are in the same boat where their best UFC performances came against severely limited opposition, but Maverick is eight years younger and the better offensive wrestler by far.

UFC 298 Odds For The Main Card:

Alexander Volkanovski (-125) vs. Ilia Topuria (+105)

I do believe Volkanovski wins this more often than not because of Topuria’s tendency to overcommit and leave himself exposed, but this is a quick turnaround after a nasty knockout loss … best to leave it be.

Robert Whittaker (-225) vs. Paulo Costa (+185)

From where I’m sitting, this is Whittaker’s fight to lose. Costa hasn’t fought since 2022, got out-boxed by Marvin Vettori, and looked profoundly mediocre against an ancient Luke Rockhold afterward. Whittaker’s more than proven his ability to deal with musclebound sluggers like Yoel Romero (twice) and Jared Cannonier, so Costa isn’t anything new.

Ian Garry (-225) vs. Geoff Neal (+185)

Neal can go from underwhelming to the scariest man on the planet with no rhyme or reason, so I’d leave this one alone.

Merab Dvalishvili (-218) vs. Henry Cejudo (+180)

I’m with “The Machine.” On paper, Jose Aldo and Petr Yan were his toughest stylistic challenges and he comfortably beat them both. Even if the undersized Cejudo can keep it standing, I don’t see him staying out of Dvalishvili’s grasp long enough to mount any sustained offense.

Anthony Hernandez (-205) vs. Roman Kopylov (+170)

Both of these men are taking notable steps up in class and excel where their opponents struggle. I’d just sit back and enjoy this one.

UFC 298 Best Bets:

• Single bet — Amanda Lemos: Bet $60 to make $46.15
• Single bet — Zhang Mingyang: Bet $60 to make $46.15
• Parlay — Miranda Maverick and Robert Whittaker: Bet $50 to make $62.34
• Parlay — Oban Elliott and Danny Barlow: Bet $40 to make $39.94
• Parlay — Merab Dvalishvili and Nakamura/Vera Over 2.5: Bet $40 to make $49.05

UFC 298 looks like the palate cleanser we need after a couple of rough weeks. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Initial Investment For 2024: $600
Current Total: $501.57

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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