UFC 223: Holloway vs Khabib
Date: April 8
Arena: Barclay Center
City: Brooklyn, NY
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Brooklyn, NY for the second time in promotional history this Saturday night with UFC 223: Holloway vs. Khabib. If you’re considering wagering on this fight card, there are many good plays to put your money down on. These, however, are fights I think you should skip at the sportsbook on Saturday night.
My Fights to AVOID betting are:
Lightweight bout: Evan Dunham (-140) vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (+120)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I see this as being a close fight in the UFC’s 155 pound division, though I would not be surprised to see Aubin-Mercier pull away with this one, considering he is the younger fighter of the two and is constantly improving from fight to fight. The veteran Dunham is still making improvements in his own right at this later stage of his professional fighting career. I think OAB should be a slight betting favorite in this spot, so at the current odds, I feel we are looking at a dog or pass situation, and for the time being, I think it is wise to pass on playing the dog and skip this bout altogether. If both fighters show up on top of their game, this is the type of fight I could see resulting in a Draw, as did Dunham’s previous outing against Beneil Dariush.
Gabe’s Call: OAB by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
Light Heavyweight bout: Devin Clark (-110) vs. Mike Rodriguez (-110)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I agree with the current betting odds in that this is a coin-flip matchup in the UFC’s 205 pound division. I believe the fight will come down to whether Clark could find success with his takedowns or not, because if he fails to take the fight to the mat, then I think Rodriguez will likely overwhelm him on the feet. I could see Rodriguez putting Clark away with strikes in this bout. If it hits the scorecards for a decision, I think it could be anybody’s fight, which is why I agree with the betting odds, though I think Clark is slightly more likely to win a decision due to his wrestling advantage and the possibility of Rodriguez fading in his Octagon debut. At the current odds, I think this is one scrap that is best to skip at the sportsbook this weekend.
Gabe’s Call: Clark by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
