The time is finally here and fight fans will be treated to another exciting UFC Fight Night Card from the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. 26 fighters took to the scales for their respective bouts and were all able to successfully make weight. All there's left to do is lock the cage doors and find out who emerges victorious. Check out our UFC odds series for our UFC Vegas 89 Best Betting Props.
The Main Event will feature a matchup of highly-skilled contenders in the Women's Flyweight Division. No. 8-ranked contender Amanda Ribas is coming off one of the best performances of her career and she's ready to once again prove her worth as a title challenger. Her opponent will be former Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas who makes her second appearance at flyweight. After dropping a tough bout to Manon Fiorot, she'll be in a big spot to respond with a win.
The Co-Main Event will feature a pair of dangerous heavyweights with differing fighting styles. American Karl Williams is a former collegiate wrestler and has seen a 2-0 start to his UFC career with two unanimous decision victories. On the other side stands the Kiwi Justin Tafa, who makes the walk after his previously cancelled fight from two cards ago. He'll be looking to end this fight the only way he knows how with a thunderous knockout.
We've already made our expert picks for each individual fight, but for this portion we'll be taking a look at some of the more valuable betting spots on this card. Cash-in on our favorite betting props for UFC Vegas 89!
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Vegas 89 Odds: Best Betting Props
Mohammed Usman Wins by Decision (+225)
Trey Ogden Wins by Submission (+475)
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman Ends in DRAW (+6600)
Justin Tafa wins via KO/TKO/DQ in Round 1 (+300)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Mohammed Usman Wins by Decision (+225) vs. Mick Parkin
This will prove to be an intriguing matchup between differing styles to open up the fight card. Mohammed Usman is known for his scary power, but he's been much more of a wrestler through his first two UFC bouts. Mick Parkin is an extremely skilled boxer and could certainly put the pace on Usman in the striking if this fight remains on the feet.
I believe that Usman will be slow in the striking and Parkin will see early success throughout this fight. As he's done in the past, Usman will have to rely on his wrestling for an advantage and he could have a clear path to victory with Parkin on his back. I expect this to be a slower-paced fight with Usman eventually succeeding in the takedowns and edging a decision win on the scorecards.
Trey Ogden Wins by Submission (+475) vs. Kurt Holobaugh
Trey Ogden is a seasoned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and operates his own gym at Overland Park Jiu Jistu. He's achieved a lifelong mastery in the discipline and has 11 of his 16 wins by way of submission. He'll be facing an older, more experienced cage fighter in Kurt Holobaugh, but Ogden has the UFC experience and competition on his side. Kurt Holobaugh is a great jiu jitsu practitioner in his own right and notched a submission win in his UFC debut.
Both fighters are very tough on the feet, so I don't expect too much damage to be done from their strikes. Both men are very willing to challenge each other in the grappling so I fully expect this fight to hit the mat at some point. From there, I'll favor Trey Ogden's jiu jitsu skills on a count of his finishing history and experience in the UFC. He's better about chasing finishes from tough positions and with him as the betting favorite, we'll jump on his submission prop as well.
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman Ends in DRAW (+6600)
This is an extremely interesting fight in terms of two very young prospects matching up against each other. Payton Talbott is just 25 years old and Cameron Saaiman, despite his experience, is still just 23. Both fighters are very well-rounded and fight wise beyond their years. Talbott certainly has more pop to his shots and he's willing to try some wild striking tactics with his athleticism. Saaiman is much more measured in his approach and will favor a top-control wrestling game to grab this win.
Both fighters are extremely close in terms of skill and I can honestly see this fight becoming a stalemate. It's surprising to see Payton Talbott as the betting favorite in just his second UFC fight, but clearly they're giving him an edge with his powerful striking. Cameron Saaiman, however, is a very hard-worker and will undoubtedly be better in this fight after a loss. I expect him to stick to his game plan fully and find a path to victory through his wrestling.
The fight is basically a coin-flip and we always see judges struggle to score bouts while weighing damage done and control time. I expect the judges to have fits in tallying Talbott's striking and Saaiman's control time, so let's take a fun chance here and bet the rare and unlikely ‘DRAW' scenario. I can see these two running a classic fight back in the future.
Justin Tafa wins via KO/TKO/DQ in Round 1 (+300) vs. Karl Williams
Karl Williams is proving to be a very solid heavyweight in this division, but he hasn't gone up against a power puncher like Justin Tafa. Williams will also come into this fight about 20 pounds lighter than Tafa on the scales, so his eventual wrestling attack could run into some problems given the weight disadvantage. Furthermore, Tafa has never been taken down in his UFC career so it's unclear how he'll look fighting from his back.
If Justin Tafa wants to win this fight, he's going to have to knockout Karl Williams with something big in the first round. After the first, Tafa stands a huge chance of gassing out and wavering his output by the later rounds. Ride Justin Tafa to get the early KO-win as he gets back in the win column.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Follow Us
Subscribe