This week’s UFC action comes from Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, where UFC 316 will be headlined by Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley fighting for the second time with the bantamweight title on the line. On this card, there are several betting angles that we think could have value, including one preliminary card bet that you won’t want to miss. Here, you can find our best UFC bets this week before Saturday’s action begins.
UFC Best Bets For This Week
UFC Best Bet: Serghei Spivac (-142) over Waldo Cortes-Acosta
& Sweepstakes Casino
& Sweepstakes Casino
When it comes to finding accurate, expert-level UFC picks, look no further. As seasoned MMA analysts with years of hands-on experience in the fight game, we deliver precise predictions for every UFC event, whether it’s a blockbuster pay-per-view card or an electrifying Fight Night. Our team of dedicated UFC enthusiasts studies every matchup, fighter statistics, and fight trends to ensure our picks are not just educated guesses but well-researched recommendations you can trust. With our comprehensive research guiding our picks, you’ll have the insight needed to make informed decisions ahead of the octagon action.
UFC fans know that fight cards are packed with talent, but navigating odds for Early Prelims, the Preliminary Card, and the Main Card every week can be overwhelming, even for hardcore enthusiasts. That’s where we step in. Our expertise is rooted in years of analyzing UFC matchups, studying fight footage, and following fighters’ careers closely. Whether you’re searching for tonight’s predictions or long-term betting strategies, trust us to deliver accurate, authoritative insights that enhance your UFC experience.
Expert UFC Picks Every Event
For every UFC event, from the smallest UFC Las Vegas fight night cards to the marquee events held around the world, we will provide our expert UFC picks. Those picks can be found above each week. Those MMA picks will feature a combination of main event bouts and undercard fights, both from the main card and prelims. For more information on how we arrive at our UFC picks and what betting markets we utilize, you can continue reading.
What to Consider When Making MMA Picks
When making MMA picks, there are is a lot to think about, as this sport is vastly different than most from a betting perspective. We see basketball teams play multiple times per week and football teams play weekly, for example. In UFC, a fighter may go years without a fight, which changes the way we have to handicap. Here are a few of the things we look at when making our UFC picks each week.
Fight Location
One huge component to each UFC pick that we make is the location where the fight is being held. This is not as much about any sort of home soil advantage, as a fighter from the USA will not have some kind of inherent advantage over an international fighter in a fight in Las Vegas or elsewhere in the USA. But rather the location of a fight can impact the octagon conditions that can have an impact on a fight.
For example, a fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will feature a smaller octagon than a fight at a larger venue where a bigger octagon is brought in for the event. A smaller octagon would benefit a competitor who likes to grapple, while a larger octagon will benefit someone who likes to fight at a distance.
Stylistic Matchups
They say that styles make fights, and that is more true in UFC than it is in boxing or most other combat sports. The key to successful UFC betting is to analyze the way that each competitor approaches fights and extrapolating that to the matchup in their next fight. Evaluating things like takedown defense when a competitor is set to fight a grappler, or striking when set to face a striker, is vital to making strong UFC picks.
Previous Matchups
Rematches for championships are becoming more and more common in UFC. That gives bettors some sort of frame of reference when making a UFC pick on those fights. Before placing a bet on a rematch, bettors can analyze those past UFC bouts and determine whether a result can be replicated, or if there was an outcome that is going to go a different way the next time around.
Types of UFC Picks
Here, you will see several types of UFC picks throughout the year. From betting on fights to simply claim a victory in a given fight to more intricate prop bets that focus on hyper-specific components of each bout, keep reading for a breakdown of the different betting markets that we look at when making our selections for each UFC event.
Moneyline Bets
The most common type of UFC pick is the moneyline prediction. This type of bet allows bettors to wager on who the winner of an UFC fight will be. It does not matter how a win is earned, so long as a bettor correctly predicts who the winner is. With this market, bettors have to balance the chances of a combatant winning with the odds set by the sportsbooks for that fight.
Over/Under Bets
Another common form of UFC pick is the over/under wager, which asks UFC bettors to predict how many rounds a bout will last. Sportsbooks will set a number of rounds for each UFC fight, with bettors able to wager on whether it will go over or under that number of rounds. There are often half-rounds included in these wagers, with a half-round consisting of 2:30 in the following round.
UFC Prop Picks
Prop bets are also a huge part of our UFC picks each week. Prop bets allow UFC bettors to make picks on very specific components of each UFC fight. These include betting on the method of victory in a fight, such as a knockout, submission, or decision. There is also the ability to wager on a UFC fight to go the distance or if one of the combatants will earn a finish before the end of the final round. These props often come at better odds than simply wagering on a winner on the moneyline.
More Than Just UFC Picks
For those who want to bet on more than just UFC, we have got you covered. Click on the below links to get our picks for sports that are not UFC, including football, basketball, and more.
