Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC Vegas 8, which is set to hit UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Aug. 29, 2020), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!
Before Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz duke it out for the now-vacant title, Light Heavyweight finishers Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith will attempt to re-enter contention this Saturday (Aug. 29, 2020) at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 8 features a Welterweight clash pitting Neil Magny against late replacement Robbie Lawler and Alexa Grasso’s Strawweight debut against the hard-charging Ji Yeon Kim.
Want to personally profit from these brewing brawls? Here’s how …
What Went Wrong at UFC On ESPN 15?
To paraphrase an earlier comment of mine, it’s hard to make a profit when half the fights you pick don’t actually happen. In the end, the only two surviving bets were the one on Joe Solecki (originally a parlay with Timur Valiev, which became a straight bet when Valiev switched opponents from Mark Striegl to Trevin Jones) and the Carlton Minus/Mizuki Inoue parlay, which balanced each other out for a net gain/loss of $0. It could have been worse …
UFC Vegas 8 Odds For The Under Card:
Impa Kasanganay (-130) vs. Maki Pitolo (+110)
Mallory Martin (-300) vs. Hannah Cifers (+250)
Alessio Di Chirico (-120) vs. Zak Cummings (EVEN)
Giga Chikadze (-245) vs. Alex Caceres (+205)
Emily Whitmire (-120) vs. Polyana Viana (EVEN)
Sean Brady (-380) vs. Christian Aguilera (+315)
Thoughts: Another … interesting batch of lines this week. I like Mallory Martin as this week’s anchor thanks to Hannah Cifers’ ongoing struggles with capable grapplers. On the underdog side, Polyana Viana looks like a decent investment, while the bold among you could put a pittance on Maki Pitolo and Zak Cummings.
Cifers has now been finished on the mat three times in a row, once by a pure striking specialist in Angela Hill. Martin may not be much of a submission threat, but she’s a powerhouse wrestler with dangerous ground-and-pound who should comfortably avoid Cifers’ heavy right hand and shred her from top position.
In short, use her to beef up parlays.
Viana’s Octagon career has been more than a little disappointing. That’s because despite a literally world-class jiu-jitsu pedigree and some power in her hands, she’s failed to make any sort of impression in the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. That said, she’s got all the tools necessary to beat Whitmire, out-classing her on the ground and boasting a considerable reach advantage. While I wouldn’t put it past “Poly” to once again shoot herself in the foot, she has enough advantages to be worth an underdog investment.
Pitolo and Cummings are this week’s risky picks. Pitolo’s also been pretty damn underwhelming during his UFC tenure, but Impa Kasanganay remains green and unproven enough that the odds should be tighter, especially considering Pitolo’s boxing advantage. On Cummings’ side, he’s far more accomplished than Di Chirico, who looks to be the lesser grappler and lacks the pop to crack Cummings’ concrete chin.
UFC Vegas 8 Odds For The Main Card:
Aleksandar Rakic (-280) vs. Anthony Smith (+240)
Neil Magny (-245) vs. Robbie Lawler (+205)
Alexa Grasso (-320) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (+260)
Ricardo Lamas (-250) vs. Bill Algeo (+210)
Magomed Ankalaev (-335) vs. Ion Cutelaba (+275)
Thoughts: Not a lot to work with here — I don’t see any of the underdogs reliably pulling the upset, especially since Anthony Smith will only have three rounds to work, but they’re largely dangerous enough to make betting on the favorites a bad idea. Maybe a bit on Neil Magny, just to soften the blow when a 38-year-old Robbie Lawler once again refuses to let his hands go? Or some on Grasso, who despite a height and reach disadvantage has a massive technical edge against Ji Yeon Kim?
UFC Vegas 8 Best Bets:
- Parlay — Mallory Martin and Polyana Viana: Bet $50 to make $83.50
- Parlay — Mallory Martin and Maki Pitolo: Bet $30 to make $54
- Single bet — Zak Cummings: Bet $30 to make $30
- Parlay — Neil Magny and Alexa Grasso: Bet $40 to make $33.89
UFC Vegas 8 features a lot of potential highlight-reel finishes on the table this time around — don’t miss ‘em. See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 8 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ 9 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 8: “Smith vs. Rakic” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.