LFA 98: Fremd vs. Oliveira takes place on Friday, January 29 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
LFA 98 Odds
Josh Fremd -115
Bruno Oliveira -115
Lucas Clay -150
JJ Okanovich +120
Richard Palencia -400
Jeimeson Saudino +300
Zak Pauga -400
Ashby Thomas +300
Joshua Dasilveira -325
Matt Paul +250
Dakota Bush -300
Austin Clem +240
Tabatha Ricci -600
Vanessa Marie Grimes +425
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds for LFA 98:
- The main event of LFA 98 is a three-round middleweight bout between Josh Fremd (6-1) and Bruno Oliveira (8-2). Fremd is a 27-year-old prospect fighting out of Factory X in Colorado. He’s won his last four fights, including back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights. He also had a fight in Bellator in 2017 that he won by stoppage. Fremd is definitely a prospect to keep your eye on, especially if he can get past Oliveira in this fight. The 36-year-old Oliveira is coming off of a submission loss to Carlos Ulberg on the Contender Series in a failed attempt to get to the UFC. Prior to that, the Brazilian had won three straight fights, including a TKO win over current UFC welterweight Jared Gooden. There are some qualities to like about Oliveira, including his height and reach, but those attributes are mostly matched by Fremd in this fight. The odds opened as a Pick ’em, but I think Fremd should have opened as a small favorite.
- The co-main event is a lightweight bout between JJ Okanovich (7-1) and Lucas Clay (6-1). The 30-year-old Okanovich is fighting for the first time since July 2019, when he won a decision on the Contender Series and was passed over by UFC president Dana White. Overall, Okanovich is actually on a seven-fight win streak, and he even has a perfect 5-0 record in Bellator. But for whatever reason, neither the UFC nor Bellator seemed interested in bringing him in long-term despite his win streak. Standing across from Okanovich in this fight is Clay, who is also coming off of a long layoff, having last competed in November 2019. The 25-year-old American is riding a two-fight win streak into this bout, but Okanovich looks like a tough fight for him. I would take the dog money here on Okanovich to get his hand raised.
- The biggest mismatch according to the odds is a women’s strawweight bout between Tabatha Ricci (3-0) and Vanessa Grimes (1-5). The 25-year-old Brazilian Ricci had two MMA fights back in 2013/2014, then took six years off before returning to the sport with a decision win in LFA in September 2020. She is a BJJ ace and looks to be a very intriguing prospect now that she’s fully committed to MMA. As for Grimes, she is a 36-year-old American who is riding a five-fight losing skid into this bout, which also marks her LFA debut. According to the LFA Twitter account, Grimes is stepping up on short notice. I like Ricci to get the finish here.
