UFC 267: Best of the Rest Betting Guide (2021)
The UFC returns to the UAE’s “Fight Island†this weekend for UFC 267, which is packed with great fights and headlined by two title fights. While we’ve already broken down the co-main and main event, there’s still plenty of value on the rest of the card for those willing to dig deep enough.
Let’s take a closer look at two other fights I have my eye on ahead of Saturday.
#5 Islam Makhachev (-650) vs. #6 Dan Hooker (+460)
Makhachev returns to the octagon in a lightweight bout to take on Dan Hooker, who replaces Makhachev’s scheduled opponent, Rafael Dos Anjos.
Since dismantling Thiago Moisés the last time we saw him inside the octagon this summer, Makhachev has climbed into the division’s coveted top-five and looks to be a fight nobody wants. Fighting out of the Khabib Nurmagomedov camp, his legend grows seemingly every week, and so do his metrics.
Coming into this fight, Makhachev leads the division in takedown accuracy and strikes absorbed, and he’s second in striking accuracy behind Justin Gaethje.
Bottom Line?
Having taken this fight with less than a month’s notice, I don’t see an avenue in which Hooker makes this competitive. While we could see a better-than-expected performance from a warrior in Hooker, Makhachev will prove to be a different kind of fighter
While the juice has gotten out of hand, I am parlaying this one with Petr Yan to get a more reasonable line.
Pick: PARLAY – Makhachev & Petr Yan -150 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
#10 Amanda Ribas (-160) vs. #12 Virna Jandiroba (+140)
This women’s strawweight bout will undoubtedly have future ranking implications, as both Ribas and Jandiroba look to crack the coveted top 10. In her last fight, Ribas suffered the only loss of her career in a five-round affair with Marina Rodriguez.
A former two-time champ at other promotions before joining the UFC, Ribas comes into this one landing nearly double the strikes of her opponent, as well as having a 20% higher defensive clip than Jandiroba at just over 70%.
Bottom Line?
In addition to the metrics and common opponent edge, Ribas has the added benefit of having her last two fights at Fight Island. Jandrioba, on the other hand, will make her Fight Island debut and has not fought outside the United States since leaving Brazil in 2017.
Pick: Amanda Ribas -160 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
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