UFC 252: Cromier vs. Miocic III

The UFC is back in Las Vegas on August 15 with UFC 252. The headliner is between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Champion. UFC Vegas odds expect this to be a close fight, with either fighter having a chance at taking the rubber match. We preview that fight, plus many more fights in our free UFC 252 betting preview. 

UFC 252 Main Event – Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier

To Win the UFC Heavyweight Championship			To Win the UFC Heavyweight Championship
Stipe Miocic	-120	-110	Daniel Cormier

The main event at UFC 252 features two of the best heavyweight fighters ever, squaring off for the third time in the octagon. Daniel Cormier won the first fight at UFC 226, knocking Stipe Miocic out in the first round. Stipe got his revenge against Cormier at UFC 241, knocking out Cormier to win in the fourth round.

The two fighters have not fought since UFC 241. The UFC odds on this match are about as close as possible, with both fighters getting about a 50% chance of winning from the oddsmaker. In their last fight, Cormier was winning before Stipe knocked him out in the fourth. Cormier’s ability to land lower body strikes kept Miocic from doing much until he managed to land some significant strikes in the fourth.

While the time off between their fights is significant, limited training opportunities make it difficult to predict what fighter has the advantage. We are leaning towards Cormier to win. The way he looked in the first few rounds of their last fight and how he won in their first match (plus the ten extra points of juice on his UFC 252 betting odds), has us more excited to bet on him to win on Saturday night.

Pick: Daniel Cormier (-110) to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship

Co-Main Event – Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera

To Win the Fight			To Win the Fight
Sean O’Malley	-320	+230	Marlon Vera

The co-main event at UFC 252 sees Sean O’Malley takes his 12-0 MMA career record against Marlon Vera (who sports a 15-6 record in his career). After two consecutive “Performance of the Nights,” bookmakers are coming around on O’Malley, and have him favoured over Vera. These two were originally scheduled to fight each other at UFC 239.

O’Malley packs quite the wallop for a bantamweight fighter, with eight victories by knockout, including two straight in the first round. Marlon Vera brings a vastly different style into the octagon. While Vera is a respectable striker, his expertise is his work on the ground. Vera has seven wins by submission in his career.

However, he will have a challenging time submitting O’Malley, who has the advantage in reach and defends takedowns well. Overall, we like what the favourite, Sean O’Malley, has to offer and expect him to have another strong showing in the Octagon at UFC 252.

Pick: Sean O’Malley (-320) to Win the Fight

Junior dos Santos vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

To Win the Fight			To Win the Fight
Junior dos Santos	+125	-160	Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Another clash of heavyweights fills a spot on the main card at UFC 252, as fifth-ranked Junior dos Santos takes on sixth-ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik. A win by either could surge them up the rankings, potentially with the winner getting a shot at either Cormier or Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship (if anything causes presumptive frontrunner and top-ranked heavyweight Francis Ngannou to miss time).

These two brawlers have combined for 24 KO/TKOs in their careers, including a nine-second win by Rozenstruik against Allen Crowder (the second-fastest win in heavyweight history).

Both fighters are coming off quick losses to Francis Ngannou (dos Santos in June 2019 and Rozenstruik at UFC 249), suggesting these two match up even closer than the MMA odds on UFC 252 suggest, which is why, in this fight between two strikers, we like the underdog Junior dos Santos, to pull off the small upset.

Pick: Junior dos Santos (+125) to Win the Fight

John Dodson vs. Merab Dvalishvill

To Win the Fight			To Win the Fight
John Dodson	+150	-195	Merab Dvalishvill

Two more bantamweights finish off our free picks on UFC 252. Twelfth ranked John Dodson comes in as the underdog against 15th ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvill. Dodson is only 4-4 since returning to the bantamweight class in April 2016, while Dvalishvill is the winner of his last four fights.

Many size advantages (reach, leg reach, and weight) in this fight go to Dvalishvill, as well as grappling skills. That leaves it up to Dodson’s striking skill if he wants to win this fun. While he has ten wins by KO/TKO in his career, just two have come that way since 2015. Take Dvalishvill to win this fight.

Pick: Merab Dvalishvill (-195) to Win the Fight

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Category : Sports Blog

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