Reed Wallach
5-0 over the last 2 UFC events
Championship Parlay: Usman (-390)/ Zhang (-210)
Masvidal’s path to victory lies with the element of surprise. Just like the move that shot him into the limelight, a flying knee knockout of Ben Askren, ‘Gamebred’ will need something of that sort to finish Usman and get the win. I don't see that happening against the technical beast that is Usman. I see the champ taking home the belt with ease.
I paired Usman with Zhang, who I think ends up winning this fight comfortably. She is a power striker who over the course of the fight will wear down her opponent. We saw Namajunas start to fade in the third round of her last fight against Jessica Andrade, yet take the first two rounds to score a victory.
In a five round war against Zhang, who has proven that she can go the full 25 and win classic fights -- as seen in one of the best fights ever last year against Joanna Jedrzejczyk -- I don’t think Namajunas can keep up.
Zhang could be worth a live bet as well after round 2 if the fight seems close, I expect her to take over in the championship rounds.
This parlay is -117, and expect both to put together comprehensive performances on Saturday night.
Prop Bet: Brendan Allen by Submission (+195)
Allen is a name to watch in the middleweight division. Just 25 with a 15-4 professional record, Allen has the skill to rise up the ranks of a crowded division.
However, he was finished in his last fight against Sean Strickland, setting up a bounce back spot for him against Karl Roberson.
Roberson’s shaky takedown defense -- 50% over his UFC career -- can spell trouble against the slick grappler in Allen.
He has been able to score eight wins by submission, and Allen has one inch of reach on ‘Special K.’ Roberson is going to find himself on the mat early and Allen will be able to finish this one on the mat.
‘All In’ is the favorite in this fight, -158, but I see the most likely path to victory through submission, and see +195 as a good price to get in on. I’d play it down to +180.
Prelim Bet: Stefan Sekulic (+188)
This is a play on price more than anything. Sekulic is fighting for the first time since 2018 after serving a two year suspension for using multiple banned substances.
While there should be concerns about Sekulic's ring rust, his opponent is being overvalued in the market. At 36, Grant is more of a one trick pony, and not a great one at that. He's going to hunt for a knockout and if he's unsuccessful this won't be a visually appealing fight. I can definitely see this fight going to the judge's scorecards after a slog of three rounds.
If Grant is unsuccessful in turning out the lights early, this fight becomes Sekulic’s to lose, who has the grappling advantage with six submission victories to his name.
I’m going to bank on the Serbian keeping this fight at range, forcing some grappling exchanges, and tire ‘The Body Snatcher’ out. I'll take my chances on the scorecard with a near 2-1 dog.
5-0 over the last 2 UFC events
Championship Parlay: Usman (-390)/ Zhang (-210)
Masvidal’s path to victory lies with the element of surprise. Just like the move that shot him into the limelight, a flying knee knockout of Ben Askren, ‘Gamebred’ will need something of that sort to finish Usman and get the win. I don't see that happening against the technical beast that is Usman. I see the champ taking home the belt with ease.
I paired Usman with Zhang, who I think ends up winning this fight comfortably. She is a power striker who over the course of the fight will wear down her opponent. We saw Namajunas start to fade in the third round of her last fight against Jessica Andrade, yet take the first two rounds to score a victory.
In a five round war against Zhang, who has proven that she can go the full 25 and win classic fights -- as seen in one of the best fights ever last year against Joanna Jedrzejczyk -- I don’t think Namajunas can keep up.
Zhang could be worth a live bet as well after round 2 if the fight seems close, I expect her to take over in the championship rounds.
This parlay is -117, and expect both to put together comprehensive performances on Saturday night.
Prop Bet: Brendan Allen by Submission (+195)
Allen is a name to watch in the middleweight division. Just 25 with a 15-4 professional record, Allen has the skill to rise up the ranks of a crowded division.
However, he was finished in his last fight against Sean Strickland, setting up a bounce back spot for him against Karl Roberson.
Roberson’s shaky takedown defense -- 50% over his UFC career -- can spell trouble against the slick grappler in Allen.
He has been able to score eight wins by submission, and Allen has one inch of reach on ‘Special K.’ Roberson is going to find himself on the mat early and Allen will be able to finish this one on the mat.
‘All In’ is the favorite in this fight, -158, but I see the most likely path to victory through submission, and see +195 as a good price to get in on. I’d play it down to +180.
Prelim Bet: Stefan Sekulic (+188)
This is a play on price more than anything. Sekulic is fighting for the first time since 2018 after serving a two year suspension for using multiple banned substances.
While there should be concerns about Sekulic's ring rust, his opponent is being overvalued in the market. At 36, Grant is more of a one trick pony, and not a great one at that. He's going to hunt for a knockout and if he's unsuccessful this won't be a visually appealing fight. I can definitely see this fight going to the judge's scorecards after a slog of three rounds.
If Grant is unsuccessful in turning out the lights early, this fight becomes Sekulic’s to lose, who has the grappling advantage with six submission victories to his name.
I’m going to bank on the Serbian keeping this fight at range, forcing some grappling exchanges, and tire ‘The Body Snatcher’ out. I'll take my chances on the scorecard with a near 2-1 dog.
