UFC 245 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!

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Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 245, which is set to hit T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Dec. 14, 2019), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosts a trio of title fights this Saturday evening (Dec. 14, 2019), with a bone-deep grudge match leading the way. UFC 245’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event sees Kamaru Usman make his first defense as Welterweight champion against former interim roost-ruler Colby Covington, while Max Holloway faces fellow Featherweight monster Alex Volkanovski in the co-main. Before that, double champ Amanda Nunes attempts to turn aside former rival Germaine de Randamie at Bantamweight.

Two events left to wring profit out of in 2019. Let’s get on with it!

What Went Wrong at UFC DC?

Aside from Ben Rothwell needing to kick Stefan Struve in the nuts far more than expected, nothing much. All six of the picks won by stoppage … doesn’t get much cleaner than that.

UFC 245 Odds For The Under Card:

Geoff Neal (-245) v.s Mike Perry (+205)
Ketlen Vieira (-165) vs. Irene Aldana (+145)
Ian Heinisch (-150) vs. Omari Akhmedov (+130)
Matt Brown (-345) vs. Ben Saunders (+285)
Chase Hooper (-115) vs. Daniel Teymur (-105)
Kai Kara-France (-165) vs. Brandon Moreno (+145)
Viviane Araujo (-170) vs. Jessica Eye (+150)
Oskar Piechota (-120) vs. Punahele Soriano (EVEN)

Thoughts: Irene Aldana strikes me as a solid underdog pick, and those of you looking to sweeten the deal on a favorite could do worse than Matt Brown.

Ketlen Vieira is a substandard striker coming off of a massive layoff. Irene Aldana is a high-output boxer with strong takedown defense. I’ll admit that Vieira has her fairly out-classed on the ground, but Vieira has to get through Aldana’s punches to do so, and while Raquel Pennington managed to put Aldana on her back, Aldana stuffed five of her six attempts to do so. I’d say there’s enough going the Mexican’s way to be worth an investment.

I don’t really think I need to write a whole spiel justifying a bet on Brown. He’s got some of the greatest killer instinct in UFC history and Saunders folds from a stiff breeze. “Killa B” doesn’t have the wrestling to exploit Brown’s poor submission defense, either, so if he doesn’t drive a knee into Brown’s infamously fragile midsection, “The Immortal” is going to demolish him.

UFC 245 Odds For The Main Card:

Kamaru Usman (-185) vs. Colby Covington (+160)
Max Holloway (-170) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (+150)
Amanda Nunes (-280) vs. Germaine de Randamie (+240)
Marlon Moraes (-200) vs. Jose Aldo (+170)
Petr Yan (-475) vs. Urijah Faber (+380)

Thoughts: Two top contenders for the status of Featherweight G.O.A.T. are in for two very different evenings. Holloway retains his title and Jose Aldo is rudely booted from the Bantamweight division.

Volkanovski is an absolute stud, a relentless ball of technical aggression with terrific wrestling, one-shot power, and the division’s fiercest ground-and-pound. Holloway, unfortunately, just seems all wrong for him. The champ’s gas tank is every bit as bottomless, his takedown defense up to the task, his technical boxing a step above. Combine that with the durability to withstand Volkanovski’s overhand right and it looks like a successful title defense.

Aldo’s biggest weakness at 145 pounds was his need to fight in spurts to preserve cardio. Rumble Johnson-ing his way to 135 pounds seems like exactly the wrong way to go about fixing that, and Moraes’ uncharacteristic slowdown against Henry Cejudo doesn’t erase the fact that he’s a technical striking marvel with what looks to be a notable speed advantage. “Magic” is a bit chinny and Aldo is still a beast, but the weight cut alone justifies a bet on Moraes.

Speaking of retained titles, I see no reason not to expect a repeat from Amanda Nunes. She mauled de Randamie last time and has, for my money, shown more improvement since that first bout than “The Iron Lady.” Takedown, ground-and-pound, rinse and repeat.

If you want to squeeze a tiny bit more out of a bet, Petr Yan looks safe as well. He’s durable enough to withstand Faber’s overhand right and is enormously difficult to control on the mat on top of being the far more versatile striker.

UFC 245 Best Bets:

• Parlay — Irene Aldana and Petr Yan: Bet $40 to make $78.80
• Parlay — Matt Brown and Max Holloway: Bet $50 to make $54
• Parlay — Amanda Nunes and Marlon Moraes: Bet $50 to make $52

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 245 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 245: “Usman vs. Covington” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Initial Investment For 2019: $300
Current Total: $969.72