UFC 252 main card betting odds & picks

UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier 3 Latest Odds & Fight Info
UFC betting odds	Stipe Miocic -105 at Bovada | Daniel Cormier -115 at Bovada
When	Saturday, August 15 – prelims from 5pm PDT
Where	UFC Apex – Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch Live	ESPN+ (US), BT Sport (UK), Main Event (AU), UFC Fight Pass, UFC.com

UFC 252 betting preview

Fans will be purchasing the UFC 252 Pay Per View for the final bout between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. But they will also be treated to a main card that features another heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Junior dos Santos, and Sean O’Malley getting his biggest test in the UFC to date facing Marlon Vera. The action takes place this Saturday night at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley (-270) vs Marlon Vera (+230)

Sean O’Malley (12-0-0) is one of the UFC’s hottest prospects. He enters this fight with a perfect 12-0 record including back-to-back Performance of the Night efforts with first-round knockouts against Jose Alberto Quinonez at UFC 248 and Eddie Wineland at UFC 250.

O’Malley will face a considerably tougher opponent this Saturday in Marlon Vera (15-6-1), who had won five straight fights before losing by decision to Song Yadong in his last bout. Vera has never been stopped, as all six of his career losses have come by decision. 

It’s tough to go against O’Malley, as the young bantamweight is thrilling to watch and always a threat to earn a quick knockout with his rapid-fire attack. But the hype around him has driven his price too low, and Vera’s strong chin gives him a shot at withstanding the early onslaught and eventually taking control of the fight in the second or third round.

Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-125) vs Junior dos Santos (+105)

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1) was a perfect 10-0 with nine knockouts heading into his UFC 249 fight against Francis Ngannou. That bout lasted only 20 seconds as Ngannou picked up his fourth straight first-round knockout win. So we still don’t quite know how good Rozenstruik is, as he has demolished weaker competition to date and been demolished by one of the game’s most elite strikers.

Junior dos Santos (21-7-0) will provide an excellent litmus test. The 36-year-old has lost each of his last two fights, but those losses came against Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes, the two best heavyweights in the division besides Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.

The veteran Alistair Overeem gave Rozenstruik trouble before being knocked out a second before the end of the fifth round. In a three-round fight, look for dos Santos to edge out a win.

Featherweight: Herbert Burns (-255) vs Daniel Pineda (+215)

Herbert Burns (11-2-0) has won each of his last five fights including a 3-0 record in the UFC with three first-round stoppages. The submission specialist will try to stay hot against Daniel Pineda (26-13-0), who will be making his return to the UFC after going 1-4 in his last five fights with the promotion back in 2012-2014. This just feels like a spot to showcase Burns on the main card.

Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili (-250) vs John Dodson (+210)

Merab Dvalishi (11-4-0) has won four straight fights by decision and has an excellent opportunity to make it five straight wins in this one. John Dodson (21-11-0) is coming off of a TKO win over Nathaniel Wood in February but was 1-3 in his previous four fights before that one. Dvalishi should control the tempo and earn enough points to pick up the win here.

UFC 252 preliminary card

Lightweight: Vinc Pichel (-125) vs Jim Miller (+105)

Women’s Strawweight: Virna Jandiroba (-300) vs Felice Herrig (+250)

Featherweight: T.J Brown (-155) vs Daniel Chavez (+135)

Women’s Strawweight: Lívia Renata Souza (-155) vs Ashley Yoder (+135)