Matthew Lowrimore
UFC on ABC 9 takes place on Saturday at the Etihad Arena at Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates. This card features a UFC Middleweight fight between Robert Whittaker and Reinier De Ridder as the Main Event.
Here are our best bets for this UFC card, which will include 3 fights on the Main Card. Be sure to also check out the rest of our UFC predictions for all of the UFC on ABC 9 Main Card fights.
UFC on ABC 9 Main Card Best Bets
Reinier De Ridder ML over Robert Whittaker (+136)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing.
The Main Event at UFC on ABC 9 will see Robert Whittaker take on Reinier De Ridder. This will be a fight in the UFC Middleweight division. De Ridder enters this fight with an MMA record of 20-2 and 3-0 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.25 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 60%. De Ridder is absorbing 2.21 strikes and has a striking defense of 44%. His grappling has been elite in the UFC, averaging 4.74 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.4 submission attempts during the same period. He has a takedown accuracy of 38% and a takedown defense of 66%.
Whittaker is the moderate favorite in this fight, but De Ridder looks to be a solid betting option to pull the upset. De Ridder is perfect in the UFC, while Whittaker has been an inconsistent 3-3 in his last 6 UFC fights. Whittaker has the advantage in terms of striking volume, but de Ridder has superior grappling ability. Because of this, backing De Ridder to win will be our best bet.
Read our full Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier De Ridder prediction
Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault – Over 1.5 Total Rounds (-175)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing
The third fight on the Main Card at UFC on ABC 9 will see Shara Magomedov take on Marc-Andre Barriault. This will be a fight in the UFC Middleweight division. Magomedov is one of the biggest favorites on the fight card, so instead, we will be looking to target a total rounds prop. Barriault has seen 4 of his last 7 UFC fights go over 1.5 total rounds, while all 5 of Magomedov’s UFC fights have done the same. Because of this, backing over 1.5 total rounds will be our best bet.
Read our full Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault prediction
Asu Almabayev ML over Jose Ochoa (-110)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The second fight on the Main Card at UFC on ABC 9 will see Asu Almabayev take on Jose Ochoa. This will be a fight in the UFC Flyweight division. Almabayev enters this fight with an MMA record of 21-3 and 4-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 2.32 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 54%. Almabayev absorbs 1.76 strikes and has a striking defense of 53%. His grappling has been elite, averaging 4.13 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.4 submission attempts during the same period. Almabayev has a takedown accuracy of 42% and a takedown defense of 66%.
This fight is essentially a pick ‘em, but Almabayev looks to be the best betting option. Ochoa has very little experience in the UFC, and while his striking volume is stronger, Almabayev has superior grappling ability. For this reason, backing Almabayev to win will be our best bet.
Read our full Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction
