UFC 252 Main Card Roundup

With the possibility of this being both Cormier and Miocic’s last career fights, this card might become an extremely important one from a historical perspective. However, not enough attention is being given to the other fights on the Main Card from the general public. It seems as though the only people who are actually getting excited about the entire Main Card are bettors who have been moving lines all week leading up to the actual fights. For that reason, let’s break down my thoughts on these fights from a betting perspective.

John Dodson vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Even though Dodson has a serious advantage when it comes to UFC experience, Dvalishvili has become a contender in the Bantamweight division and he specializes in the one area that Dodson has struggled in over the course of his career so I think that this fight could be a tough one for the UFC veteran. Dodson is a bit of a one-trick pony as he relies almost exclusively on his standup and I think that he might turn into a bit of a deer in the headlights once Dvalishvili starts trying to take him down.

Dodson is a very tough guy and he does a great job at handling difficult situations in fights and finding a way to make it to the judges when things are not necessarily going his way which makes me believe that this fight will turn into a bit of a long one. Dvalishvili is arguably the best Bantamweight ever when it comes to taking his opponents down but he has struggled when it comes to finishing fights inside the distance. Each of Dvalishvili’s last four fights have ended by decision victory and I think that Saturday night’s fight will follow a similar script.

Prediction: Dvalishvili via Decision (-125 FD)

Junior dos Santos vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

While some fans enjoy fights that are extremely technical, most fans just want to see someone getting knocked unconscious as quickly as possible and this fight should help those fans with their thirst for carnage. Both fighters have the ability to win in spectacular fashion on the feet and one should expect to see some fireworks as a result.

Although Junior dos Santos is a UFC legend, he is also 36 years old and he is entering this fight following consecutive knockout losses to Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes so his chin looks a lot more vulnerable at this stage in his career. However, he still possesses a lot of power in his punches and his experience with the organization does make him a somewhat attractive underdog.

Similarly to his opponent, Jairzinho Rozenstruik enters this fight following a knockout loss as he got embarrassed by Francis Ngannou in less than 25 seconds. However, he still has nine career knockout victories with seven of them coming in the first round so he is always a threat to end any fight as quickly as possible.

Based on the styles of both fights, I expect this fight to end extremely early as either fighter has the ability to put the other on the canvas at a moment’s notice. Although I understand why Rozenstruik is favored, I think that dos Santos could potentially catch him with a punch that ends the fight so I do not see much value in taking a side here. However, I do think that this fight will end one way which is by an early stoppage.

Prediction: Under 1.5 Rounds (-118 FB)

Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera

Even though Vera specializes in an area that O’Malley is not fully comfortable in, O’Malley is such a technical striker that I expect him to have a ton of success on the feet in this fight. Vera’s last fight concerned me a bit as he was willing to trade shots a bit too frequently in the standup and I believe that making the same mistake on Saturday might render him unconscious. Vera has never been knocked out in his career but he has yet to face someone with O’Malley’s power and precision so I am very curious to see how his chin holds up.

O’Malley is naturally the huge favorite in this contest because of the fact that he looks like the next superstar within the Bantamweight division and because he is loved by the casual MMA fans for his highlight reel knockouts so there really is not much value in taking him to win on the moneyline. However, there is always value to be found if one digs deep enough and I think that both fighters have a chance to get a stoppage since they both specialize in different areas which makes me believe that the sharp play might be found on the total.

Prediction: Under 2.5 Rounds (+101 DK)

Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier

Both of these fighters need no real introduction as they are two of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time. This will be the much-anticipated trilogy fight after each fighter split the first two encounters with individual knockout victories. Although both of these fighters are at least 37 years old, each of them are still elite heavyweights which is important considering the fact that a title belt and each of their respective legacies might be on the line.

Although Miocic won the last fight, he was getting dominated for the bulk of the contest before several body shots completely turned the tide of the fight so much so that the former champion was able to regain his belt with a fourth-round knockout. However, one has to wonder if that was a bit of a fluke since Cormier has controlled about 80% of the rounds between these two fighters. Regardless, Miocic is the Heavyweight champion once again and a victory in this fight would cement him as the greatest Heavyweight fighter in the history of the sport without anybody else really being in the same ballpark as him.

Win or lose, Daniel Cormier has already announced that this will be his last professional fight. This puts a lot of added pressure onto Cormier as he will arguably become the greatest MMA fighter of all-time with a victory in this contest. Plus, there is always the revenge angle as he was dominating the second fight before everything unraveled in the fourth round which is definitely being used as a motivational tool by his camp for this fight. With that being said, the one thing left to figure out is whether or not Cormier will be able to ride off into the sunset with another title belt around his waist.

As for my prediction, I cannot get over the fact that Cormier has won about 80% of the rounds between these two fighters with the one blemish resulting in a knockout loss. Therefore, I think that Cormier has a great chance to win this fight either by stoppage or by decision while Miocic might be forced to go all-in on getting a stoppage once again in the later rounds. Overall, it is a shame that one of these fighters will have to lose but I expect it to become an absolute war.

Prediction: Daniel Cormier ML (-110 DK)