A star roster commands the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) last pay-per-view (PPV), when three undisputed champions put their titles on the line Saturday night (March 6, 2021) inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas , Nevada.
The main event at UFC 259 shows Israel Adesanya’s attempt to become the latest “double champion” of the promotion at the expense of light heavyweight boss Jan Blachowicz, while the co-feature pits the female goat Amanda Nunes against the dangerous kickboxer Megan Anderson. In addition, Petr Yan puts his bantamweight belt on the line against Aljamain Sterling in what could be the most exciting confrontation of 2021 to date.
It is a hodgepodge of entertainment and – if you know where to look – an opportunity to make money. Let’s dig …
What went wrong in UFC Vegas 20?
A genuinely fun self-analysis is to find out if I overestimated a failed choice or underestimated your opponent. This time it was definitely the last – Thiago Moises’ striking looked much better than usual, especially on the back foot, and Pedro Munhoz impressed with his ability to hit his calf kicks against an elite striker. Fortunately, Ronnie Lawrence, Dustin Jacoby, Magomed Ankalaev and Ciryl Gane were there to guarantee a small profit, although some were less fun than others.
UFC 259 Odds for the bottom card:
Casey Kenney (-130) against Dominick Cruz (+110)
Song Yadong (-155) against Kyler Phillips (+135)
Askar Askarov (-120) vs Joseph Benavidez (EVEN)
Kai Kara-France (-135) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (+115)
Jordan Espinosa (-130) vs. Tim Elliott (+110)
Carlos Ulberg (-245) against Kennedy Nzechukwu (+205)
Sean Brady (-220) against Jake Matthews (+180)
Amanda Lemos (-230) x Livinha Souza (+190)
Uros Medic (-165) vs. Aalon Cruz (+145)
Mario Bautista (-240) vs. Trevin Jones (+200)
Thoughts: If they are going to give us so many fights to choose from, we can also make the most of it. Rogerio Bontorin, Jordan Espinosa, Carlos Ulberg and Sean Brady look like quality investments.
Although I like Kai Kara-France, he had his fair share of problems with grapplers, despite an extraordinary 90 percent drop defense. Bontorin – although less pathologically aggressive than Brandon Royval – can definitely put pressure on Kara-France and exploit his tendency to carry hay. He also looked strong against another sprawling and tough fighter in Raulian Paiva, so he is worth a small weak investment (at least).
Espinosa is a little more skilled than his lackluster octagonal history might suggest, and his killer attack style seems like a big headache for the clumsy Tim Elliott. Elliott will have a hard time trying to get down Espinosa and move on, especially since the latter has some solid wrestling skills on his own.
In fact, despite his tendency to self-destruct, Espinosa is too tempting to pass up.
There are few active light heavyweights who could stay with Carlos Ulberg in a pure stand-up fight … and Kennedy Nzechukwu is not among them. Without any kind of fall threat to prevent Ulberg’s attack, Nzechukwu’s kickboxing with 120 grams gloves against a much more polished and powerful attacker. It is not exactly a recipe for success.
Brady passed all UFC tests so far with praise, including a man in Ismail Naurdiev that I really believed would get him in trouble. As impressive as Jake Matthews’ current 6-1 race is, he had to rely heavily on his wrestling, which does not seem to be effective against a grappler like Brady. In addition, Brady is at least the same standing, so I feel confident to recommend a bet on him.
UFC 259 odds for the main card:
Israel Adesanya (-230) vs Jan Blachowicz (+190)
Amanda Nunes (-1050) vs Megan Anderson (+675)
Petr Yan (-110) against Aljamain Sterling (-110)
Islam Makhachev (-350) vs. Drew Dober (+290)
Aleksandar Rakic (-155) vs Thiago Santos (+135)
Thoughts: My opinion: no one without a falling attack in the first division will beat Israel Adesanya in the UFC. Blachowicz will almost certainly give Adesanya the standing battle he desires, and considering the Polish’s continued dependence on the types of punch blitzes that the unsophisticated “Stylebender” feast on, it will end extremely badly for him. I absolutely hope Adesanya will leave the octagon with two belts around his waist on Saturday, so make sure you are in a position to benefit.
UFC 259 Best Bets:
- Parlay – Rogerio Bontorin and Sean Brady: $ 40 to win $ 85.20
- Parlay – Carlos Ulberg and Jordan Espinosa: $ 50 to win $ 74.50
- Parlay – Carlos Ulberg and Israel Adesanya: $ 40 to win $ 40.80
This is a card that you simply cannot miss. Until Saturday, Maniacs.
Remember this MMAmania.com will provide live coverage round by round, blow by blow of the entire UFC 259 fight card right on here, starting with the beginning ESPN + “Prelims” online games, which are scheduled to start at 6 pm ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPNESPN + at 8 pm ET, before the start time of the PPV main card at 10 pm ET on ESPN + PPV.
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