Latest Odds, Betting Guide For UFC ‘Auckland’

Photo by Phil Walter/Zuffa LLC

Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC Fight Night 168, which is set to hit Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, this Saturday (Feb. 22, 2020), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

Auckland’s own Dan Hooker looks to keep City Kickboxing’s improbable run going this Saturday (Feb. 22, 2020) when he takes own fellow striking sensation Paul Felder in UFC Fight Night 168’s ESPN+-streamed main event. Also on tap are a Light Heavyweight clash pitting Michael Oleksiejczuk against Jimmy Crute and women’s Strawweight bruiser Yan Xiaonan looking to make it five straight against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

It’s a card that makes up for name value with entertainment potential. Plus, you know, profit potential. In we go …

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The Jim Miller underdog pick didn’t pan out, but dominant performances from Merab Dvalishvili and Raulian Paiva made back the money lost by UFC 247’s cavalcade of nonsense. Let’s keep it up!

UFC Fight Night 168 Odds For ESPN+’s Undercard:

Jalin Turner (-210) vs. Josh Culibao (+175)
Jake Matthews (-225) vs. Emil Meek (+185)
Song Kenan (-200) vs. Callan Potter (+170)
Kai Kara-France (-255) vs. Tyson Nam (+215)
Angela Hill (-200) vs. Loma Lookboonmee (+170)
Takashi Sato (-120) vs. Maki Pitolo (EVEN)
Shana Dobson (-200) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+170)

Thoughts: Jake Matthews looks to be the strongest bargain among the undercard favorites, while Loma Lookboonmee is a damn tempting underdog.

Meek is easy to root for and fun to watch when given the chance to trade punches, but his takedown defense is nowhere near as strong as it would need to be to win this fight. Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski combined to put him on his back 14 times in his last two fights, and though Matthews isn’t quite as fearsome an offensive wrestler as those two, he’s got the submission chops to turn a single takedown into a fight-ending choke. To make matters worse for “Valhalla,” he’s been out of action since July 2018. In other words, if Meek at his best would be in for a rough night, a rusty Meek is just boned. Go big on the “Celtic Kid.”

Lookboonmee may be a fair bit smaller than Angela Hill, but she can more than hold her own in the striking and boasts the wrestling prowess necessary to avoid the fight Hannah Cifers suffered in her own clash with “Overkill.” The Thai wunderkind is a handful at the best of times, and the fact that Hill has to do so on short notice makes Lookboonmee worth a look.

UFC Fight Night 168 Odds For ESPN+’s Main Card:

Dan Hooker (-145) vs. Paul Felder (+125)
Michael Oleksiejczuk (-135) vs. Jimmy Crute (+115)
Yan Xiaonan (-260) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+220)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (-150) vs. Ben Sosoli (+130)
Magomed Mustafaev (-140) vs. Brad Riddell (+120)
Kevin Aguilar (-110) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (-110)

Thoughts: I get that picking the biggest favorite on the card is kind of a cop-out, but how am I supposed to pass up Yan Xiaonan? She’s on a four-fight tear and Kowalkiewicz has dropped three straight. Kowalkiewicz also just got torched by Alexa Grasso and is up against someone who can match her volume — Yan’s got this.

UFC Fight Night 168 Best Bets:

• Single bet — Loma Lookboonmee: Bet $40 to make $68
• Parlay — Jake Matthews and Yan Xiaonan: Bet $60 to make $60

Every single ESPN+ main card fight features at least one knockout puncher, as do most of the “Prelims” undercard bouts. You won’t want to miss this … see you Saturday, Maniacs!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 168 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will also stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Fight Night 168: “Felder vs. Hooker” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Initial Investment For 2020: $300
Current Total: $513.19