Barry Recks
The stars will align once again in the world of mixed martial arts, with the UFC all set up to bring one big fight after another this coming weekend at UFC 290. Not one, but two championship bouts will be featured on Saturday, with Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodríguez squaring off in a featherweight title showdown, while flyweights Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja go up against each other for the main supporting event.
Read on for more about this major UFC event in Las Vegas, including our predictions, picks, and latest odds in each bout, as brought to you by JefeBet. Also, don’t forget to check out the other MMA content here to help you make the best betting decisions.
Betting Preview for UFC 290 Featuring Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodríguez Other Big Cards on July 8 2023
Alexander Volkanovski (-410) vs Yair Rodríguez (+310)
Featherweight
Volkanovski and Rodríguez will clash in a featherweight battle between the reigning champion and the No. 1 challenger in the division. The 34-year-old Volkanovski returns to featherweight after suffering losing a lightweight title bout against Islam Makhachev last February — on the same day that Rodríguez won the interim featherweight belt. Volkanovski is 25-2-0, while Rodríguez carries a 16-3-0 record.
Prediction: Volkanovski wins via unanimous decision.
Brandon Moreno (-180) vs Alexandre Pantoja (+155)
Flyweight
Moreno is going to make another defense of his flyweight title this year. Last January, he successfully retained his belt by defeating Deiveson Figueiredo (again) via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) in the third round. The 29-year-old Moreno keeps a 21-6-2 record. Meanwhile, Pantoja is about to experience his first title fight in the UFC. He is on a three-fight win streak. Pantoja (25-5-0) has experience in a championship experience, though, having fought in a title bout once way back in 2014 when he was still under Resurrection Fighting Alliance.
Prediction: Brandon Moreno wins via split decision.
Robert Whittaker (-410) vs Dricus du Plessis (+310)
Middleweight
After falling prey to Israel Adesanya in a title fight in February of last year, Whittaker (25-6-0) got back up with a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori several months later. With newfound momentum, Whittaker, who is 25-6-0, has a golden opportunity to make what could be his biggest victory in years if he can solve du Plessis (19-2-0). The South African fighter is undefeated through five fights in the UFC. In his last bout, he stopped Derek Brunson in the second round in March.
Prediction: Dricus du Plessis wins via knockout.
Jalin Turner (-250) vs Dan Hooker (+210)
Lightweight
This lightweight showdown isn’t going to be hard to sell for the UFC. Here are two strikers who will not back down from an opportunity to knock out the other guy. Turner (14-6-0) is coming off a split decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot last March, so expect him to be laser-focused against Hooker, as it provides him a chance to get back on track in such a short turnaround. Hooker, on the other hand, won his last fight in November, scoring a knockout win over Claudio Puelles to snap a two-fight losing skid. Hooker is 22-12-0.
Prediction: Dan Hooker wins via decision.
Bo Nickal (-1300) vs Tresean Gore (+750)
Middleweight
Nickal (4-0-0) will look to stay undefeated in his still nascent MMA career. He has won all his four fights so far at the pro level, three of which coming via submissions. Meeting Nickal inside the Octagon is George, who is 5-2-0 and is also coming off a win.
Prediction: Bo Nickal wins via submission.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings. Read our review here!
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