Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC Fight Night 146, which is set to hit Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., this weekend (Sat., March 9, 2019), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!
It’s a strikers’ delight inside Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., this Saturday (March 9, 2019) when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to ESPN+ with UFC Fight Night 146. The main event pits the Heavyweight division’s all-time knockdown leader, Junior dos Santos, against comeback specialist Derrick Lewis. The co-feature sees Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos look to continue his violent ways against Curtis Millender, while Tim Means and Niko Price duke it out one fight prior.
UFC 235’s betting went poorly; therefore, let’s see if we can’t do better this weekend.
What Went Wrong at UFC 235?
It’s 2019, and the only bet that worked was … Diego Sanchez?!?!?!?!? How about that.
Honestly, I don’t regret most of the bets — the Cirkunov pick was made with the acknowledgement that Johnny Walker could lay him out in seconds (and he did), while Polyana Viana and Cody Garbrandt failed to fight up to their abilities. The one that stings is Charles Byrd (watch highlights), whom I was certain would defeat Edmen Shahbazyan with relative ease. At least we’re still in the green.
UFC Fight Night 146 Odds For The Undercard:
Anthony Rocco Martin (-190) vs. Sergio Moraes (+165)
Yana Kunitskaya (-170) vs. Marion Reneau (+150)
Grant Dawson (-170) vs. Julian Erosa (+150)
Jeff Hughes (-210) vs. Maurice Greene (+175)
Louis Smolka (-120) vs. Matt Schnell (EVEN)
Alex Morono (-185) vs. Zak Ottow (+160)
Alex White (-150) vs. Dan Moret (+130)
Thoughts: The underdogs aren’t terribly tempting this week, so let’s see what we can cobble together out of Anthony Rocco Martin, Yana Kunitskaya and Alex Morono.
Martin’s the riskiest bet of the three, as Moraes is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu players in the sport, but he’s the better striker and wrestler by a fair margin. It looks as though he can comfortably box up Moraes at range and shut down his takedowns, so bet accordingly.
Marion Reneau’s two biggest issues are lack of volume and porous takedown defense, both of which Kunitskaya is perfectly equipped to deal with. Kunitskaya does admittedly go submission-over-position more than I’d like, which could leave her open to Reneau’s dangerous top game but she showed that she can grind someone out in her recent bout against Lina Lansberg. Expect her to dominate from the clinch and top position.
I’ve got Morono beating Ottow for the simple fact that Morono is way, way more aggressive. Three of Ottow’s four UFC victories are by split decision, a byproduct of his total lack of urgency, while Morono is a ball of nonstop aggression. Further, Morono’s ground game is good enough to deal with Ottow’s and he’s extremely difficult to finish, limiting the chance of a surprise knockout ruining several rounds of hard work. Go big on “Great White.”
UFC Fight Night 146 Odds For The Main Card:
Junior Dos Santos (-220) vs. Derrick Lewis (+180)
Curtis Millender (-125) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (+105)
Tim Means (-210) vs. Niko Price (+175)
Blagoy Ivanov (-130) vs. Ben Rothwell (+110)
Beneil Dariush (-200) vs. Drew Dober (+170)
Omari Akhmedov (-130) vs. Tim Boetsch (+110)
Thoughts: Loathe as I am to bet against big punchers, dos Santos is perfectly equipped to take apart “Black Beast.” Lewis relies on opponents burning themselves out trying to grapple him, but dos Santos is more than happy to work at a sedate pace and piece up opponents with his jab. Lewis doesn’t pressure hard enough to break dos Santos’ composure, offering neither the versatile striking Alistair Overeem used to defeat “Cigano” nor the blended takedowns Cain Velasquez used to great effect. Indeed, dos Santos eats plodders for breakfast, and even with all his wear-and-tear, he’ll do the same on Saturday.
UFC Fight Night 146 Best Bets:
- Parlay — Anthony Rocco Martin and Yana Kunitskaya: Bet $50 to make $71
- Parlay — Alex Morono and Junior dos Santos: Bet $50 to make $62
Two Heavyweight knockout artists, the most entertaining Welterweight on the planet in Elizeu Zaleski, and a bevy of other quality match ups make for a strong ESPN+ offering. See you Saturday, Maniacs!
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver live UFC Fight Night 146 results on fight night, which is as good a place as any to talk about all the action inside the Octagon, as well as what you’ve got riding on the sportsbook.
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