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It’s Jon Jones fight night, ladies and gentlemen.
The UFC 285 fight card is loaded from top to bottom with up-and-coming fighters and very high-level technical fights.
After a three-year layoff, Jon “Bones” Jones returns for a heavyweight matchup against Ciryl Gane.
The process has been long, and Jones has implored an unbelievable diet to get to this new weight class.
Below we preview the UFC 285 main event and break down the best betting picks for tonight’s card.
UFC 285 odds
Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane prediction
The main event is a super fight with the heavyweight crown at stake.
Breaking down this fight, Gane will likely win the striking exchanges throughout; he has an elite K1 Kickboxing background and is technically excellent.
Where this fight gets hairy for him is the grappling. Francis Ngannou badly out-grappled Gane, and Gane’s fight IQ was nonexistent in that bout.
Frankly, Gane “fumbled the bag” when he lost to Ngannou last February for the heavyweight title.
He was out-wrestled by a non-wrestler in Ngannou who also had a torn ACL.
You won’t beat Jones if you can’t wrestle and make egregious tactical errors throughout.
Jones should be able to eat Gane alive and win via ground and pound or by submission.
Earlier in the week, Jones by submission at +750 was worth a bet, but oddsmakers are now sharp to it, moving the line to the +500 area.
At the time of writing, you can grab Jones by submission at +700 on BetRivers, which is a fine wager.
However, if that line does not last, let’s target Jones wins inside the distance, which comes in at +220 on PointsBet.
This is a phenomenal line, as +220 comes in at 31.25 percent implied.
Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps
This is substantially better than betting each prop individually.
His KO/TKO prop comes in at +400 (20 percent implied) and submission +475 (17.37 percent implied).
Added together, you would get 37.39 percent implied (+168 odds), so we are getting a 6.14 percent edge on the book.
This is worth a bet down to +200.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso prediction
Valentina Shevchenko faces off against Alexa Grasso in the women’s flyweight division.
Shevchenko comes in as a massive -600 favorite against Grasso, who has struggled with grapplers.
Shevchenko is precisely that.
Look for Shevchenko to dominate the grappling exchanges and win this one in the later rounds.
Grasso has been to a decision in 80 percent of her ten UFC fights and none of her wins are by knockout.
Shevchenko should be able to control the action here wherever she wants, whether it is striking or wrestling.
The pick for this one is on the champ retaining her title in under 2.5 rounds at +108 on PointsBet.
This prop comes in at -115 on other books making it always very important to line shop.
This is usually an excellent spot to back “The Bullet,” as she has won nine straight, with only two of those wins coming before the 2.5 round mark.
Jalin Turner vs. Mateusz Gamrot prediction
The ever-improving Jalen Turner faces Mateusz Gamrot, a fighter many had pinned to fight for the title later this year.
Gamrot is an elite wrestler that should be extremely difficult for Turner to deal with.
Turner loves his front head-lock submissions, which he has used successfully many times.
Looking at Turner’s tape, his fight with Matt Frevola gives me a lot of hesitations that he can win this fight.
Turner was taken down at will against Frevola, constantly settling for bad positions as he chases low-percentage submission.
Turner would be wise to stay on his feet and use his elbows and knees to take him to victory.
Gamrot doesn’t have a granite chin by any means; he has been knocked down twice, including his last fight against Beneil Dariush.
This one screams a late finish by Gamrot or an early finish by Turner.
Let’s grab under 2.5 rounds at -145 on Caesars.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Trevin Jones prediction
A fight with loads of betting value is Cody “No Love” Garbrandt, who faces off against Trevin Jones.
Garbrandt has fallen on hard times of late, losing five of his last six.
But this matchup is pretty excellent for Gardbrandt.
His opponent Trevin Jones is a counter striker that doesn’t grapple much.
Gardbrandt should have the grappling advantage; we saw him effectively utilize wrestling against Rob Font not too long ago.
Expect this fight to be a low-volume battle and a starring contest at some points.
This might surprise some, but I am targeting Garbrandt to win by decision at +500 on FanDuel.
As for the best bet for this fight, grab over 1.5 rounds at -128.
UFC 285 main card picks and parlay
- Jon Jones wins by submission +700 (BetRivers | wins by KO/TKO +220 (PointsBet)
- Shevchenko wins in under 2.5 rounds +108 (PointsBet)
- Under 2.5 rounds for Gamrot vs. Turner -145 (Caesars)
- Over 1.5 rounds for Garbrandt vs. Jones -128 (FanDuel)
Garbrandt wins by decision +450 + Geoff Neal ML +380 + Bo Nickal wins in round 2 +400
This three-leg parlay is courtesy of Ariel Helwani’s parlay token on BetMGM.
Any UFC 285 parlay of three or more legs gets you a 20 percent profit boost.
The odds of this one are very long, 131/1, but with the profit boost, you are bumped to 157:1.
Please bet responsibly here and enjoy the fights.
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