It’s almost time for UFC Paris and we’ve got a really solid lineup on the way with this one, despite a late cancellation coming via the scales. The event will be headlined by a middleweight clash between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho with a potential shot at new UFC Middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev on the line.
Losene Keita was the only fighter to miss weight, coming in 3 pounds over the limit, and his fight with Patricio Pitbull was subsequently cancelled. Disappointing start (and potentially finish) to his UFC run to say the least as Keita was one of five former champions from other promotions set to debut in Paris.
My favorite picks for the UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho card are Oumar Sy, Modestas Bukauskas, Brad Tavares and Sam Hughes. My favorite betting underdog (on most books) is Marcin Tybura.
Sy is coming off his first loss to Alonzo Menifield at UFC Atlanta and is getting a considerable step back in competition here against Brendson Ribeiro. Sy should be the more durable fighter in the striking exchanges and will likely be more dangerous if it goes to the ground as well. I like Sy’s chances to get this one done inside the distance for the home crowd.
Bukauskas has looked pretty solid since starting his second stint with the promotion and has put together a 5-1 record heading into this matchup with Paul Craig. Bukauskas will certainly be the better striker in this matchup, and as long as he avoids letting Craig find an easy takedown for a submission, he should cruise for a KO/TKO or decision win.
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Tavares should cruise in his matchup against Robert Bryczek also. Bryczek didn’t look great in his UFC debut getting outstruck 2 to 1 and dropped in a loss to Ihor Potieria and gets a tougher matchup here. Tavares should be able to stay safe and on the feet in this one and pick up a pretty comfortable win on the cards or even a late stoppage.
Hughes is drawing a great matchup in my opinion against Shauna Bannon, and despite having a pretty sizeable line at the sportsbooks, she should be able to justify it. Hughes has a lot more experience than Bannon and is a big step up from the level of fighters Bannon has beaten recently. I think Hughes will be very live for a stoppage late or clean decision.
For the betting card this weekend, I spread things out a bit with a handful of prop shots and small parlays. The prop bets are Hughes to Win Inside the Distance (+350 for .25 units), Bukauskas by Decision (+300 for .5 units), Borralho by Decision (+165 for .5 units) and Imavov/Borralho to End by Split/Majority Decision (+450 for .25 units).
The parlays are Tavares by Decision + Tybura ML (+265 for .5 units) and Sy to Win Inside the Distance + Gomis by Decision (+233 for .5 units). That’s a total of six tracked bets for 2.5 units.
I have an open parlay coming into the card with legs that needs Hughes, Tavares and Sam Patterson ML to cash, and also have an untracked NFL/UFC parlay starting tonight that includes Najee Harris Anytime TD + Ruffy/Saint Denis Goes the Distance – No (+304 for .5 units).
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We’re going to continue building and adding new interviews, highlights and more, so be sure to check it out and keep an eye out for new content dropping this weekend, including UFC Paris highlights. Latest videos linked below the picks and also updated the homepage with links for latest YouTube videos, Instagram posts and recent MMA news.
Overall, I’m expecting this to be a pretty entertaining card featuring a solid mix of talented new faces for the promotion and absolute bangers at the top of the card. Reminder it’s daytime start here in the US with the prelims kicking off a 12PM ET and the main card at 3PM ET. Best of luck on the bets and hope everyone enjoys the fights!
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