UFC Vegas 62 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!

Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC Vegas 62, which is set to hit UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Oct. 15, 2022), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

Flyweight contenders look to stake their claims to title shots this Saturday (Oct. 15, 2022) when all-action strikers Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo collide inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier that evening, the inimitable Cub Swanson drops to Bantamweight to challenge Jonathan Martinez in UFC Vegas 62’s co-main event, while Askar Askarov squares off with Brandon Royval in what’s sure to be a grappler’s delight.

Well, that personal seat license (PSL) won’t pay for itself this autumn season, so let’s fatten up that autumn budget …

What Went Wrong at UFC Vegas 61?

Jesse Ronson

Props to Joaquim Silva, who looked significantly improved after a long layoff. Ronson held up well early, but got completely blindsided by Silva’s switch to Southpaw. I really thought Ronson was the more durable of the two, though I suppose there’s only so much you can do when your opponent figures out that you can’t block his flying knees.

Yan Xiaonan, Brendan Allen, Sodiq Yusuff, Chelsea Chandler, Mike Davis, Ilir Latifi and Raoni Barcelos

Everyone performed as expected, although Yan ended up in more bad grappling situations than was advisable and Davis’ cardio wasn’t quite up to snuff. Still, they won and that’s what matters.

UFC Vegas 62 Odds For The Under Card:

Mana Martinez (-155) vs. Brandon Davis (+135)

While he hasn’t been as consistent in the Octagon as I’d hoped he’d be, Martinez is still a disgustingly hard puncher fighting a man with historically poor defense. It would be one thing if Davis was his usual durable self, but he’s coming off a brutal knockout loss to Danaa Batgerel, and Martinez has floored some very tough fighters before. Davis doesn’t have the wrestling chops to make Martinez uncomfortable, so expect “Manaboi” to level him in an exchange.

Victor Henry (-330) vs. Raphael Assuncao (+275)

I do want to point out that Assuncao’s current four-fight skid came against top-notch fighters (with the exception of Cody Garbrandt). UFC sometimes has this habit of throwing fading former elites against stiff competition over and over instead of letting them rehab against the middle of the pack, as they did with Junior dos Santos. In other words, just because Assuncao isn’t Top 10 anymore doesn’t necessarily mean he’s washed.

At the same time, he’s 40 years old, has struggled to pull the trigger of late, and is fighting a man who just beat an arguably more fearsome version of him in Raoni Barcelos. In short, Henry’s worth trusting as a parlay anchor.

Nick Maximov (-140) vs. Jacob Malkoun (+120)

Liking the upset here. Malkoun’s wrestling has more consistently held up against quality grapplers than Maximov’s — the former largely overwhelmed Brendan Allen on the mat, while the latter got torched by Andre Petroski and was getting tossed around by Punahele Soriano before “Puna” got injured. Malkoun is also the better boxer and has more than enough cardio to hold his own in a protracted grappling battle, so put your faith in him.

Joanderson Brito (N/A) vs. Lucas Alexander (N/A)

No lines are out for this one at time of writing. If you can get Brito at better than -300, go for it because Alexander struggles to keep dogged opponents away from his hips and Brito is nothing if not pathologically aggressive with his wrestling.

Piera Rodriguez (-165) vs. Sam Hughes (+140)

Hughes has notched two consecutive upsets and I like her chances at a third. While Rodriguez did ultimately adapt and overcome Kay Hansen’s wrestling attack, it was clear that her bottom game still needs work, and Hughes’ renewed focus on takedowns should let her exploit this. Plus, unlike Hansen, Hughes gets stronger as the fight goes and has shown off enough durability to survive on the feet. It’s worth a shot, I say.

Tatsuro Taira (-225) vs. C.J. Vergara (+190)

Taira has my recommendation with a caveat. Skill-wise, he has everything he needs to beat Vergara, who has yet to win a UFC fight on my scorecard. He’s just got this weird tendency to indulge opponents on the feet instead of leaning on his excellent ground game, which could be problematic against someone as aggressive as Vergara. Still, that grappling edge is sufficient to earn my nod.

Pete Rodriguez (-660) vs. Mike Jackson (+490)

If you really, really need to juice up a parlay, Rodriguez is reasonably safe. “Dead Game” may be a limited slugger with an inflated record, but Jackson’s a part-time fighter who couldn’t even put away C.M. Punk.

UFC Vegas 62 Odds For The Main Card:

Alexa Grasso (-215) vs. Viviane Araujo (+185)

I’m pleasantly surprised to see the lines this close. Araujo’s weakness is and always has been her inability to pace herself, which earned her a decision loss to Jessica Eye of all people. Grasso can match or exceed her boxing when both women are fresh and showed off enough defensive grappling chops to give Carla Esparza fits, so things will only go downhill for the Brazilian. In the end, Grasso makes it four straight.

Jonathan Martinez (-205) vs. Cub Swanson (+175)

This fight is probably best left alone. Even if Swanson dropping 10 pounds just ahead of his 39th birthday has red flags written all over it, Martinez has a history of durability issues that make it tough to recommend an investment.

Askar Askarov (-240) vs. Brandon Royval (+200)

I like Askarov here, though it shouldn’t be your lynchpin bet for the evening. As potent as Royval’s submission game is, all of Askarov’s UFC victories came against top-notch scramblers. With his considerable wrestling edge, he’s got the skills to overpower Royval on the ground the way Alexandre Pantoja did.

Dusko Todorovic (-205) vs. Jordan Wright (+175)

Steer clear! Wright is as boom-or-bust as they come and Todorovic’s defensive issues are well-documented.

Alonzo Menifield (-205) vs. Misha Cirkunov (+175)

The version of Cirkunov that first entered the Octagon wins this more often than not. The current version does not. Beyond Cirkunov’s apparent decline in virtually every aspect of the game and increasing inability to take punishment, his poor performances in recent winnable matchups suggest that he can’t execute the tight gameplan needed to beat someone this heavy-handed and physically gifted. Indeed, lean on “Atomic.”

UFC Vegas 62 Best Bets:

• Parlay — Tatsuro Taira and Alexa Grasso: Bet $60 to make $67.20
• Parlay — Mana Martinez and Victor Henry: Bet $60 to make $68.40
• Single bet — Sam Hughes: Bet $60 to make $84
• Parlay — Askar Askarov and Alonzo Menifield: Bet $50 to make $55.50
• Parlay — Jacob Malkoun and Pete Rodriguez: Bet $60 to make $91.80

UFC Vegas 62 … there are worse ways to tide us over before UFC 280, I suppose. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Initial Investment For 2022: $600
Additional Investment (Aug. 2022): $400
Current Total: $858.93

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 62 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 62: “Grasso vs. Araujo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.