UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm
Date: December 30
Arena: T-Mobile Arena
City: Las Vegas, NV
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be back in Las Vegas, NV for the final card of the year with UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm. The 10-fight card is scheduled to kick off with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET. Prelims will continue on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m., with the main card getting going on Pay Per View at 10 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here is my parlay:
Women’s Featherweight title bout: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (-355) vs. Holly Holm (+295)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Holm is not going to dance around and leg kick Cyborg to a decision with with a Greg Jackson gameplan similar to the one Carlos Condit used to defeat Nick Diaz. It just isn’t going to happen. Justino will be too much for Holm both on the feet and on the mat in this contest, and where it takes place will be where she wants it. I think she can knock Holm out on the feet, as well as TKO her on the mat and even submit her. Worst case scenario, I see Holm surviving a rough five rounds and Cyborg picking up a one-sided unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. I see this as being Justino’s fight to lose, and I think she should be an 8-to-1 betting favorite in this spot, so I really like her for a play at her current offering price of -355.
Gabe’s Call: Cyborg by T/KO (punch(es), 3:05 round 1)
Middleweight bout: Marvin Vettori (-220) vs. Omari Akhmedov (+180)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I believe Vettori is the superior striker heading into this 185 pound contest. I see him finding success in defending Akhmedov’s takedown attempts, keeping the fight standing and outstriking him. Not to mention, the Italian will also be enjoying a size advantage in this middleweight showdown. I think there is a chance he earns the finish here, but if the fight hits the judges’ scorecards for a decision, I favor him to pick up the nod there. I think Akhmedov’s only route to victory is to score takedowns and spend enough time in top position, and I don’t like his chances of doing that. At -220, I think Vettori is worth playing, as I think he should be a 3-to-1 betting favorite heading into this matchup.
Gabe’s Call: Vettori by T/KO (knee and punches, 1:13 round 1)
Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Justino (-355) vs. Vettori (-220) at -116
