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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Fresh on the heels of UFC 308, UFC Edmonton takes place this Saturday with a double-header of 125-pound action. In the co-main event, Erin Blanchfield takes on Rose Namajunas in a five-round women’s flyweight contest, while in the main event former men’s flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returns to action against Amir Albazi.

On top of those matchups, there are 12 more fights on Saturday night, so let’s dive right into the breakdowns.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Single Plays

Brandon Moreno (-172)

Money has been coming in on Moreno all week and frankly, I see why. Though Moreno is currently on a two-fight losing streak, both were split decisions that many people believe he got a bad deal on. In a different universe, Moreno could easily still be the flyweight champion.

On the other side of things, Albazi has been out of action for nearly 18 months and Moreno is by far the best opponent he’s ever faced. Moreno is going to keep a high work rate, scramble out of takedowns, and put Albazi to a test he’s never seen. Ultimately, I think Albazi is a good but not great fighter, and so I like a bet on Moreno.

Erin Blanchfield (-140)

It’s no secret that I’ve been extremely high on Blanchfield since she joined the UFC, and even after suffering her first UFC defeat earlier this year, I’m still high on her.

Simply put, Blanchfield is very young and very raw, but she’s climbed as high as she has do to sheer physicality. Against a hoss like Manon Fiorot, Blanchfield finally found the limits of that physicality, but Namajunas is another kettle of fish. The former strawweight champion is obviously extremely skilled, but she’s undersized in this weight class and has never been a strong wrestler. I expect Blanchfield to have an easy time of things.

Pedro Munhoz (-102)

There are bets I like and then there are bets I like. This is the latter.

Munhoz takes on Aiemann Zahabi on the prelims this weekend and I think this is a y’all must’ve forgot moment. Sure Munhoz has only won two of his past nine fights, but look at the level of competition? Almost everyone Munhoz lost to is an elite fighter who either held a belt or fought for one. And while Munhoz lost, he was very competitive in those losses.

Now Munhoz gets Zahabi who is a big step back in competition, and who, frankly, I’ve never been sold on. Munhoz is going to outwork Zahabi in every phase on Saturday and so I love this action.

Jack Shore (+215)

Speaking of y’all must’ve forgot, where did the Jack Shore love go? Shore faces Youssef Zalal on the prelims and he’s one of the bigger underdogs on the card?

Sure, Shore lost two of his previous three fights, but the most recent one was not his fault; a cavernous gash opened up on his leg and the doctor called the fight. And Shore was competitive with Joanderson Brito before that happened.

Meanwhile, Zalal has already been cut from the UFC once and while he’s been lights out since returning, I’m still not sold on a big ceiling for the kid. His defensive wrestling is too poor and Shore can take advantage.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Derrick Lewis by KO/TKO (+210)

Come on, y’all! We’re out here to have fun.

Lewis takes on former Glory kickboxer Jhonata Diniz on the main card Saturday and who really knows what to expect from this one. If it stays standing, Diniz certainly has the advantage but the UFC’s all-time leader in knockouts isn’t a pushover on the feet by any means. Moreover, Lewis also has a clear edge if he can get Diniz to the ground, where “The Black Beast” has nasty ground and pound. If this loses I won’t be surprised, but feels worth a stab given the price.

Mike Malott by KO/TKO or Submission (-140)

The last time we saw Malott he was well on his way to a UFC ranking until suffering one of the most stunning collapses I’ve ever witness. After putting the boots to Neil Magny for nearly 14 minutes, Malott simply imploded in the final minute of the bout and Magny pulled off a miracle comeback. Will Malott learn from that disaster? We’re about to find out.

Trevin Giles is a good-but-not-great fighter who is game enough to test Malott but defensively liable enough to get got. In fact, all six of his career losses have been by finish, which lines up nicely against Malott, who has only ever won via finish.

Wrap Up

We broke even at UFC 308 as our belief in the uncrackable chin of Max Holloway proved to be misguided. Hopefully we can do a little better this week as I feel really good about these bets and the lines are pretty tight. I guess we’ll see.

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

The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s long-running reality television show competition, returns for its 33rd season.

Officials announced via a press release Friday that casting for TUF 33 is scheduled to run from Nov. 4 to Dec. 18, with producers and scouts on the lookout for fighters in the welterweight and flyweight divisions. Coaches for the upcoming season are yet to be determined, as is the date for the season premiere.

According to the release, “casting for TUF 33 will be remote with no physical tryouts” and decisions are expected to be made no later than January.

The most recent season of TUF saw flyweight stars Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko coaching teams comprised of middleweights and featherweights. American Ryan Loder won the middleweight tournament, while Brazil’s Mairon Santos was the champion at 145 pounds.

Grasso and Shevchenko later met in a trilogy bout with Grasso’s flyweight title on the line at UFC 306 this past September. Shevchenko won by unanimous decision to become a two-time UFC champion.

Premiering in 2005, TUF has often been credited by UFC CEO Dana White as having helped to bolster interest in the promotion, particularly the thrilling TUF 1 finale bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, which is widely regarded as one of the most important fights in UFC history.

Other standouts to emerge from seasons of TUF include Nate Diaz, Michael Bisping, Tony Ferguson, T.J. Dillashaw, Robert Whittaker, Carla Esparza, Rose Namajunas, Julianna Peña, and many others, though the program has been supplanted somewhat by Dana White’s Contender Series, which serves a similar purpose as a prospect showcase.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley will battle it out in the final fight of 2024 for the UFC.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Garry and Buckley headline UFC Tampa, which takes place Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena.

Both Garry and Buckley expressed interest in stepping in to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 for the interim welterweight title following Belal Muhammad withdrawing due to a toe infection, but instead the UFC matchmakers have decided to pair up the surging 170-pound contenders.

The undefeated Garry competes for the third time in 2024. “The Future” earned a split decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February, and then handed Michael Page his first promotional defeat at UFC 303 in June. Garry is currently ranked No. 7 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

Buckley, No. 10, is unbeaten since moving down to welterweight, winning all five of his 170-pound octagon appearances. “New Mansa” looks to make it 4-0 in 2024 after stoppage wins over Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque, and a unanimous decision win against Nursulton Ruziboev. The former middleweight makes his 15th UFC appearance.

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Costly Mistake
| BJPenn.com

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is back, for some reason.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced Season 33 of the long-running combat sports reality show, expected to air at some point in early-to-mid 2025 on ESPN. Aspiring fighters competing in the flyweight (125 lbs.) and welterweight (170 lbs.) divisions are invited to apply during the open casting call that runs from Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.

Applications will available at the UFC website (beginning Nov. 4) right HERE.

The process will be handled remotely, unlike the old days of physical tryouts, with finalists being selected in January. Applicants must be between the ages of 21 and 34 and hold a winning record with a minimum of three professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fights. Unfortunately, female fighters are not expected to be a part of TUF 33.

Opposing coaches have yet to be determined.

After the pointless season featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, who never ended up fighting, TUF 32 returned with Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso at the helm. They eventually fought with Grasso surrendering her flyweight title to “Bullet” at UFC 306 as part of the “Noche” card inside Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Belal Muhammad and Conor McGregor are beefing like they have a fight coming up.

The latest round of verbal volleys between the two occurred after news broke that Muhammad is pulling out of a welterweight title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov that was scheduled to headline UFC 310 on Dec. 7. Muhammad is dealing with a toe infection that has him sidelined for the foreseeable future.

McGregor, who has been out of action for over three years, had little sympathy for Muhammad, responding with laughing emojis in a tweet reply that has since been deleted. The two fighters have rarely had a kind word for each other, but McGregor was particularly motivated to mock Muhammad after Muhammad seemingly did the same to McGregor when he withdrew from UFC 303 this past June due to a toe injury:

Muhammad responded to McGregor’s emojis by accusing McGregor of being a drug addict.

“I have this for antibiotics,” Muhammad said in a comment accompanied by a picture of his arm receiving an injection. “You use needles because you are a junkie. We are not the same.”

In another tweet that has since been deleted, McGregor responded with an invective-filled rant, calling for Muhammad to be “stripped” of the UFC welterweight title (h/t MMA On Point).

“Scutter talk just like your fighting,” McGregor wrote. “You lambasted UFC world champions multiple times on having to reschedule their bouts through injury and now it has come down on you like a bomb from the sky.

“It is glorious to see. No fight. No money. But staph infection. Bum. Stripped. Instantly. Zero knockdowns/any excitement or traffic or views or ticket sales in bout, and now also non-reliable to show? Strip. Cut. Infected fighter. You have infections.”

McGregor’s “bomb” line is particularly heinous given Muhammad’s Palestinian heritage and the genocide currently taking place in Gaza, Palestine’s largest city, at the hands of Israel.

Muhammad is yet to respond to McGregor’s latest comment.

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