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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Following a thrilling UFC 305, the world’s leading MMA promotion returns to the hallowed halls of the UFC APEX for UFC Vegas 96. Headlined by a middleweight matchup between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho, the card also features several other fights between the old guard and a rising crop of contenders. Can the old heads deliver veteran lessons or will the new breed assert themselves?

Let’s dive into the bets.

As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Straight Bets

Tabatha Ricci (-115)

In the co-main event, Ricci takes on divisional staple Angela Hill in a strawweight contest, and for as much as I respect and enjoy Hill, her time has come.

“Overkill” is pushing 40 in a division where no one ages gracefully and she’s facing an opponent who is on the rise. Ricci has only lost to top shelf competition (Manon Fiorot at flyweight and Loopy Godinez), and has the grappling chops to score takedowns and control Hill. I think she grinds out a decision.

Ryan Loder (+142)

This is nearly a full-on shot in the dark. Loder takes on Robert Valentin in The Ultimate Fighter 32 middleweight final, and while Valentin looked great on the show, Loder has an NCAA All-America pedigree that I believe in. Man just needs two takedowns to win this one and be on his way in the UFC, and historically, betting on NCAA wrestlers has been a successful strategy so I’m sticking to it.

Josiane Nunes (+180)

Nunes takes on Jacqueline Cavalcanti in a women’s bantamweight prelim bout, and I like her chances at pulling off the upset. Nunes is extremely small for bantamweight (and was even smaller at featherweight), but she carries real power — the kind Cavalcanti doesn’t have. Cavalcanti is strictly a high-volume kickboxer, who has to out-point opponents to win decisions. Nunes doesn’t need 15 good minutes, she just needs one good punch. That’s good underdog upside.

Photo by Leandro Bernardes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Caio Borralho -5.5 Points Spread (-125)

For the uninitiated, points spread bets work in MMA the same they do in other sports, just with regard to totaling all three judges’ scorecards. So, this bet cashes if Borralho wins a decision by six or more collective points (50-45, 50-45, 49-46, for example) or finishes the fight. If Cannonier wins, or if Borralho only wins by five or fewer points (48-47, 48-47, and 48-47, for example) then the bet is a loser. So basically, does Borralho dominate?

I think he does. Cannonier is a very good fighter, but he’s 40 years old and past his prime. Borralho, on the other hand, is neither of those things. The Fighting Nerds contender is 6-0 in UFC and has looked sensational. He’s a developing and capable striker, and a very good wrestler and grappler. Given Cannonier’s decline, Borralho should be able to compete on the feet, and he has a decided edge on the mat. Cannonier may be tough enough to survive the full five, but I expect a comfortable win for Borralho.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Parlay of the Week

Let’s put together a little violence parlay.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert Under 2.5 Rounds (-295)

In his 20 UFC fights, Meerschaert has hit under 2.5 rounds in 15 of them. For Shahbazyan, it’s eight out of 10. Simply put, both men come to get or get got. I suspect Meerschaert is the one who will get got, but you can’t count out his penchant for early submission wins either.

Zach Reese vs. Jose Medina Under 2.5 Rounds (-390)

Always bet the under when Reese is fighting. The man is all violence with minimal regard for defense, which is probably why he’s never been out of the first round in his career. Add in that Medina only has three decisions in his 14-fight career, and this should be over quickly.

Parlay these twp bets together for -147 odds.

Wrap Up

UFC 305 was very profitable for us, but of course, that was a good card. These APEX events are always hit or miss. Hopefully it’s a hit this time.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Renan Ferreira reached out to PFL opponent Francis Ngannou to clear the air after a comment made during Thursday’s press conference in Washington D.C. was interpreted as Ferreira saying their fight would be tougher than Ngannou losing his 15-month-old son.

In one of his first answers at the press conference, Ferreira said the former UFC champion was having a rough year — referring to his boxing losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, plus the time away from MMA — however the PFL translator sitting next to him translated his quotes as, “Francis has been going through a tough year in his life.” The “in his life” part was never said in Portuguese, and it led to criticism on social media.

“There was a bad misinterpretation of everything I said,” Ferreira told MMA Fighting. “I was referring to a bad year in fighting, him coming off two losses in boxing and a long time without fighting in MMA, so I said I was going to be a big problem in fighting, but it was interpreted as me getting personal. I would never do that. I’m a father as well, I have two kids, and I felt his loss. I had already sent him my condolences.”

Ferreira said his team reached out to Ngannou after the controversy kicked up online to explain what he really meant with his comment, and said “at no point Francis interpreted that [otherwise].” The two heavyweights are scheduled to face off in the main event of the PFL Super Fights pay-per-view show on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia.

“He knows the respect I have for him, just like he respects me a lot,” Ferreira said. “He knows I would never touch such a delicate topic like this, and it’s all good now. I would never go that low to promote a fight, say a fight would be bigger than the feeling of losing a son or loved ones, or anyone for that matter. What I said was about his career as an athlete and the two losses he’s had and everything he’s going through as an athlete. I would never go personal like that.”

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Paddy vs. Hooker?
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UFC

Chinese prospect Xie Bin closed out the show last night (Fri., Aug. 23, 2024) at “Road to UFC” (Season 3) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the stopped Masuto Kawana in the main event with a monstrous first-round knockout (punches).

Fight fans had to nearly pull an all-nighter to stay up late enough to see the conclusion of this event, but “Road to UFC” has produced some solid talent in the past so a few less hours of sleep didn’t hurt that much. Last night’s show was also the semi-final round so the intensity was even higher.

While the card was entertaining from start to finish, the main event was the biggest takeaway by far. Xie had lost his “Road to UFC” quarterfinals matchup back in 2022 so he was out for a little bit of redemption. Kawana, on the other hand, was looking to build on a four-fight win streak and punch his ticket to Season 3’s finale.

Unfortunately for Kawana, he simply couldn’t withstand the power of Xie. With just under one minute left in the first round, Xie landed a beautifully-timed counter right hand as he was moving backwards and toppled Kawana to the canvas. Xie quickly moved in and as Kawana was getting back to his feet “The Stalker” landed one final right that ended the matchup instantly.

Check out the video highlights in the above player

Bin, 26, is now riding a five-fight win streak and will have his chance to win the Season 3 final his next time out. This was an incredible way to redeem himself from his “Road to UFC” shortcomings just two years ago and easily his biggest career finish to date.

For complete “Road to UFC” semi-final results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III start time, TV schedule, and ring walks are below for the Mayweather vs. Gotti III fight card on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico.

This post will help explain the Mayweather vs. Gotti III fight card and at which time the headliners are expected to make their ring walks.

The event features a 12-fight card headlined by the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III exhibition rematch on DAZN and PPV.com. The Mayweather vs. Gotti III ring walks are expected to take place approximately around 12 a.m. ET.

The Mayweather vs. Gotti III preliminary card will be unaired. The eight-fight schedule for this portion of the card is below:

Luis Ocana vs. Cesar Espinoza

Aaron Silva vs. Alfonso Flores

Silvia Torres vs. Cecilia Rodriguez

Luis Arjas vs. Francisco Amezquita

Jursly Vargas vs. Bryan Carrillo

Sekaye Terry vs. Carlos Rosas

John Easter vs. Luis Duran

Trenton Brown vs. Jose Antonio Guadaramma

The action then picks up on DAZN and PPV.com at 7:30 p.m. ET. Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III collide in an exhibition match following their chaotic first meeting in June 2023, which ended in a mass brawl after referee Kenny Bayless waved off the bout in the sixth round.

The schedule for this portion of the card is as follows:

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III

Victor Ortiz vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria

Alan David Picasso vs. Azat Hovhannisyan

Curmel Tramayne Moton vs. Victor Vazquez

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