Matthew Lowrimore
UFC on ESPN 70 takes place on Saturday at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. This card features a UFC Heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira 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 ESPN 70 Main Card fights.
UFC on ESPN 70 Main Card Best Bets
Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira – Fight to End in Round 1 (-160)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing.
The Main Event at UFC on ESPN 70 will see Derrick Lewis take on Tallison Teixeira. This will be a fight in the UFC Heavyweight division. Teixeira is the overwhelming favorite; therefore, we will be targeting a round prop. Teixeira has won both of his UFC fights in round one. Further, Teixeira has the superior striking volume, plus he has never lost a fight in his MMA career. As for Lewis, he has seen 3 of his last 5 UFC fights end in round one; therefore, backing the same here will be our best bet.
Read our full Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira prediction
Gabriel Bonfim Win by Finish Over Stephen Thompson (-115)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing
The Co-Main Event at UFC on ESPN 70 will see Stephen Thompson take on Gabriel Bonfim. This will be a fight in the UFC Welterweight division. Bonfim enters this fight with an MMA record of 17-1 and 5-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.22 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 43%. Bonfim is absorbing 3.80 strikes and has a striking defense of 65%. His grappling has also been elite, averaging 3.68 takedowns every 15 minutes and 2.2 submission attempts during the same period. He has a takedown accuracy of 76% and his takedown defense is 73%.
Seeing that Bonfim is the overwhelming favorite, we will be looking at the method by which he could win. Bonfim has won 4 of his 5 UFC fights by finish, including his most recent fight. As for Thompson, he has lost 4 of his last 5 UFC fights, two of which have been by finish. Given the recent struggles shown by Thompson and the high finish rate for Bonfim, backing him to win by finish will be our best bet.
Read our full Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim prediction
Steve Garcia ML Over Calvin Kattar (-122)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The fourth fight on the Main Card at UFC on ESPN 70 will see Calvin Kattar take on Steve Garcia. This will be a fight in the UFC Featherweight division. Garcia comes into this fight with an MMA record of 17-5 and 7-2 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.04 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 56%. Garcia is absorbing 2.34 strikes and has a striking defense of 46%. His grappling is also decent, averaging 1.17 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy is 40% and his takedown defense is 88%.
Garcia is the small favorite in this fight, but looks to be the best betting option. He has won his last 5 UFC fights in a row, while Kattar has lost his last 4 UFC fights in a row and 5 of his last 6 UFC fights. Garcia also has the edge in striking volume and grappling; therefore, backing Garcia to win will be our best bet.
Read our full Steve Garcia vs. Calvin Kattar prediction
