We’re back this weekend with UFC 308 coming with a very early start in the US tomorrow, as prelims will be starting at 10am ET and the main card starting at 2pm ET. The event features 13 bouts and will be headlined by Ilia Topuria defending the UFC Featherweight title against reigning BMF champ Max Holloway in what should be a really fun fight. Beyond that bout, there’s a pair of fights with potential title implications (Whittaker/Chimaev and Ankalaev/Rakic) and a handful of exciting matchups on paper.

While there were no misses at the weigh-in earlier today, there was a bit of controversary with an extra hour granted to make weight and the time being needed by Shara Magomedov and Khamzat Chimaev to make the middleweight limit. Victor Hugo came in extremely heavy and his bout with Farid Basharat will now be contested at featherweight after Basharat agreed to the change despite being a sizeable 8.5 pounds lighter than Hugo for the bout. That’s one of the biggest differences in weight allowable outside of heavyweight, so that will be interesting to see play out.

My favorite picks for this card are Ilia Topuria, Khamzat Chimaev, Kennedy Nzechukwu and Geoff Neal. Topuria gets a tough opponent in Max Holloway, but he matches up extremely well with him in my opinion. Ilia has the boxing and defense to largely negate Holloway’s best weapon and will also have the advantage in power and grappling. I expect Topuria to get this one done on the cards, but it’s hard to rule out a potential stop even with Max’s durability.

Chimaev will likely need to put Robert Whittaker away early in their matchup, but I think he’ll be able to get the Reaper to the ground and do just that. While Whittaker has solid takedown defense, he hasn’t seen someone who is likely to pursue them at the level and volume Chimaev can. I see Chimaev getting this one to the ground rather quickly and finding the stoppage via sub or ground and pound sometime in the first two rounds.

Nzechukwu is moving up to heavyweight and draws an excellent matchup here against Chris Barnett. Kennedy will have 8″ advantages in height and reach to work with and the ability to change levels if he wants, none of which bodes well for Barnett at 38-years-old and off a two-year layoff. I expect Nzechukwu to win this one on the cards or by late TKO stoppage if Barnett’s cardio fails him in the heat, which is very possible in Abu Dhabi at heavyweight.

Geoff Neal is getting a good matchup in my opinion as Rafael dos Anjos moves up to welterweight. While both fighters are coming off back-to-back losses, I think this is a small step back for Neal in competition level after Shavkat and Ian Garry and he should have the takedown defense to keep this one on the feet where he’ll have more power in his striking. RDA has been pretty durable in his career, but I expect Neal to get this one done via late KO/TKO or decision.

For the betting card this weekend, I have two prop bets and four small parlays out. The prop bets: Nzechukwu by Decision (+450 for .25 units) and Magomedov/Petrosyan to End by Split/Majority Decision (+300 for .25 units). The parlays: Brunno Ferreira ML + Chimaev ML + Topuria ML (+308 for .5 units), Rafael Cerqueira ML + Neal ML/Starts R2 + Chimaev to Win in R1/2 (+600 for .5 units), Nzechukwu ML/Starts R2 + Neal ML/Starts R2 + Chimaev U2.5 Rounds (+514 for .5 units) and Chimaev to Win in R1/2 + Topuria ML + Tyreek Hill Anytime TD tomorrow in Dolphins/Cardinals (+576 for .5 units). The “Starts R2” bets are Same Game Parlays on DraftKings with ML and “Ov299.5 seconds” being the actual lines played together. That’s six bets out for a total of 2.5 units.

Overall, this should be a really good card from start to finish to round things out for the month of October. After several heavy betting favorites lost last weekend at UFC Vegas 99, I expect things to even back out a bit this weekend with a vast majority of the closing favorites getting the job done. Be sure to check below the picks for some non-UFC news, including my interview with MILLIONS CEO Matt Whitteker and information on SEFC 31 tomorrow night! Best of luck on the bets and hope everyone enjoys the fights!

If you have time, check out my first ever interview available exclusively on MILLIONS with their founder and CEO Matt Whitteker! This is a can’t miss interview for athletes, gym owners, promotors, content creators and anyone else involved in the world of sports, so be sure to check out what Matt had to say about all of the amazing things that MILLIONS offers!

If you’re in the Mid-South area, come out after UFC 308 and join us at SEFC 31 in Southaven, MS at Landers Center! We’re a proud sponsor for the event and it’s going to be an action-packed night of MMA and BJJ competition! Tickets are still available for sale via Ticketmaster. Let us know if you’re interested in more info and hope to see you there!

Be sure to check out our updated Merch page with our new gear available on MILLIONS, as well as our recently added Collabs page for our fighter shirt designs! We’ve also added a new page for our Partner Fighters who we’ve collaborated with for designs, so be sure to check them out. Fighters, if you need designs or shirts for your next bout or just want some in general, reach out via our Contact page for more info because I would love to work with you!

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