UFC Fight Night 282 Best Bets: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov
UFC Fight Night 282 is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, at Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates and will feature a main event in the UFC Light Heavyweight division between #1 Magomed Ankalaev and #9 Bogdan Guskov. Below, I have my 2 UFC Fight Night 282 best bets, both of which will take place on the main card.
In addition to my best bets for this event, be sure to check out all of our UFC Fight Night 282 predictions
UFC Fight Night 282 Best Bet: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov - Over 1.5 Total Rounds (-170)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -170.
Ankalaev enters this fight with an MMA record of 21-2-1 and 12-2-1 in the UFC. As for Guskov, he enters this fight with an MMA record of 18-3-1 and 4-1-1 in the UFC. However, instead of picking a side, we're going to look at the total in this bout.
Guskov has seen 3 of his last 4 UFC fights go over 1.5 total rounds, while Ankalaev has seen 8 of his last 9 UFC fights do the same. In fact, 6 of Ankalaev's last 10 bouts have ended in the third round or later. Both fighters certainly have the ability to end this fight quickly, but they are also strategic in their approach, which should extend this contest. Sure, Guskov's history of early finishes is concerning, but Ankalaev has been finished just twice in his career and only 1 of those came before Round 3. Coincidentally, it was his last fight, and I don't see it happening again so soon.
Check out our full Magomed Ankalaev vs Bogdan Guskov prediction
UFC Fight Night 282 Best Bet: Ramazan Temirov ML over Steve Erceg (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -110.
The co-main event at UFC Fight Night 282 will see Steve Erceg take on Ramazan Temirov in the Flyweight division. Temirov enters this fight with an MMA record of 19-3 and 2-0 in the UFC, averaing 4.37 significant strikes per minute with a striking accuracy of 40%. He absorbs 3.93 strikes and has a striking defense of 59%, and his grappling is also decent -- averaging 0.84 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 50% and a takedown defense of 100%.
This fight is evenly matched, but for my money, Temirov looks to be the best betting option. He has already impressed in the UFC with back-to-back wins to start his career after promotion. Erceg, on the other hand, has been a bit inconsistent, having gone 2-3 over his last 5 UFC fights. Erceg does have a slight advantage in terms of striking volume and grappling, but Temirov absorbs fewer strikes and has had a perfect takedown defense, which should help nullify the grappling advantage for Erceg. Overall, Temirov looks to be a strong up-and-coming fighter, and I'm not all that impressed by Erceg's recent wins over Tim Elliot and Ode' Osbourne.
Check out our full Ramazan Temirov vs Steve Erceg prediction
