UFC 252 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!

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Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 252, which is set to hit UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Aug. 15, 2020), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

With a knockout win apiece under their belts, UFC Heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, and former double champion, Daniel Cormier ,will end their rivalry this Saturday evening (Aug. 15, 2020) with a rubber match at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 252 will also feature two of the Bantamweight division’s most fearsome finishers, Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera, duking it out with a potential spot in the contender queue on the line, as well as Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Junior dos Santos in a clash of elite knockout machines.

The ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast (watch it here) will run you a pretty penny; therefore, here’s how to make up the difference … and then some.

What Went Wrong at UFC Vegas 6?

Nothing, unless you count a lack of ambition. Despite chickening out on recommending Gavin Tucker, Yana Kunitskaya and Chris Weidman, the evening went off without a hitch, with every fighter in the line up not only defeating — but dominantly finishing — their respective opponents. Let’s have more of that, please.

UFC 252 Odds For The Under Card:

Vinc Pichel (-120) vs. Jim Miller (EVEN)
Livinha Souza (-155) vs. Ashley Yoder (+135)
Herbert Burns (-270) vs. Daniel Pineda (+230)
Virna Jandiroba (-300) vs. Felice Herrig (+250)
T.J. Brown (-160) vs. Danny Chavez (+140)
Parker Porter (-125) vs. Chris Daukaus (+105)
Kai Kamaka III (N/A) vs. Tony Kelley (N/A)

Thoughts: It’s not the most jam-packed line up I’ve ever seen, but we can squeeze some blood from this stone. To do so, we must once again lean on the ladies: Livinha Souza and Virna Jandiroba.

After watching her wreck shop in Invicta, watching Souza’s last two Octagon bouts has been an exercise in frustration. She is an immensely skilled fighter, but seems dead-set on sabotaging herself with poor gameplans. Luckily for her, even a rough performance should be enough to carry her past Yoder, who is nowhere near the physical threat Brianna Van Buren is and lacks the wrestling to overpower Souza’s judo.

In short, Souza hands Yoder her fifth professional defeat without too much issue.

Felice Herrig is coming off of a torn ACL, hasn’t fought since 2018 and is up against one of the best wrestlers in the division. A strange knack for upsets isn’t sufficient against a grappler of this caliber, and even those lopsided odds aren’t enough to keep Jandiroba off of the recommendation list.

Also, just because I’m still kicking myself for not pulling the trigger on a few bets last week, put a bit down on Herbert Burns and Chris Daukaus. That’s because Burns is too good a submission artist for Daniel Pineda to handle and Daukaus has a notable edge in boxing against Parker Porter.

UFC 252 Odds For The Main Card:

Daniel Cormier (-120) vs. Stipe Miocic (EVEN)
Sean O’Malley (-320) vs. Marlon Vera (+260)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-140) vs. Junior Dos Santos (+120)
Merab Dvalishvili (-220) vs. John Dodson (+180)

Thoughts: I do not see the logic in Stipe Miocic being a slight underdog after winning their last fight. Sure, Daniel Cormier was in control for most of the rematch, but Miocic made a critical adjustment to pull out the win, and there’s no reason to think he’ll abandon the body shots that proved so telling last time. Plus, Cormier has consistently been vulnerable to body and leg attacks during his career, making it unlikely that he can make the changes necessary to avoid a repeat. Add that to the fact that Cormier is now 41 and you’ve got a recipe for Miocic winning the series 2-1.

As much as I love dos Santos, I can no longer trust him to execute in winnable match ups. His defensive lapses are more prominent than ever and he’s lost the durability and reflexes needed to survive the increased number of punches he takes. Red flags abound against a kickboxing power-puncher of this caliber; however, Rozenstruik did sleepwalk through 4.99 rounds against Overeem, so don’t put a lot down, but do be in position to benefit.

UFC 252 Best Bets:

• Parlay — Livinha Souza and Virna Jandiroba: Bet $50 to make $59.50
• Parlay — Herbert Burns and Chris Daukaus: Bet $30 to make $54.30
• Parlay — Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Stipe Miocic: Bet $30 to make $72.90
• Parlay — Virna Jandiroba and Stipe Miocic: Bet $40 to make $66.80

UFC 252 features two Heavyweight slugfests and two all-out Bantamweight wars? Sign me up. See you Saturday, Maniacs!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 252 fight card this weekend right here, starting with the ESPN+/Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN+/ESPN 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 252: “Miocic vs. Cormier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Initial Investment For 2020: $300
Current Total: $779.88