UFC 211 Main Card Betting Predictions & Picks

UFC 211 Main Card Betting Predictions & Picks

Written by on May 10, 2017

How strong is Saturday’s UFC 211 card from the American Airlines Center in Dallas? In his last fight, Eddie Alvarez was the headliner of a big card as he defended his lightweight title against Conor McGregor. Alvarez lost and now he’s not even part of the main card Saturday when he faces Dustin Poirier. And it’s Part II between Stipe Miocic and Junior Dos Santos for the Heavyweight Championship. Here’s a glance at the five main card events, which should begin at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per- view.

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UFC 211 Main Card Betting Predictions & Picks

Stipe Miocic vs. Junior dos Santos

Miocic, a -140 favorite, puts his heavyweight title on the line in a rematch vs. dos Santos, himself a former heavyweight champ. Their first matchup at UFC on FOX 13 in 2014 was a back-and-forth battle that ended in a close but unanimous decision for the Brazilian. Now the tables have turned, as Miocic is the champion and hopes to retain his belt against the last person to defeat him. In the first meeting, all three judges sided with dos Santos: 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. Both men had their moments in the fifth despite being bloodied and exhausted, closing out a memorable 25-minute confrontation. Miocic (16-2) would go on to win his next four contests, including a first-round knockout over Fabricio Werdum to claim the title last May. Dos Santos (18-4) has been limited to just two appearances since that 2014 win over Miocic, due to injury.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade

The co-main event features Jedrzejczyk defending her women’s strawweight title a fifth time and she’s a -160 favorite. Jedrzejczyk (13-0) has been dominant since signing with the UFC in 2014. She is 7-0 inside the Octagon, with three knockouts. Most rank her the No. 2 pound-for- pound female fighter in the world, behind only Cris “Cyborg” Justino. Andrade (16-5) is a perfect 3-0 since dropping to the 115-pound division last year. She is coming off a decision win over Angela Hill in February.

Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal

This welterweight bout between former UFC middleweight championship challenger Maia (24-6) and Masvidal (32-11) was originally targeted to headline UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov. However, in late February it was announced that the bout was moved to this event. Maia, who challenged unsuccessfully for the middleweight belt in 2010, has found a new life at welterweight, where the 39-year-old Brazilian grappler had won his past six fights. Three of his past four victories – over notables Neil Magny, Matt Brown and Carlos Condit – have come via submission. Masvidal, the former Strikeforce and Bellator fighter, has earned three consecutive victories and is the -120 favorite.

Frankie Edgar vs. Yair Rodriguez

The 35-year- old Edgar, a former lightweight champion, underwent surgery on a torn groin muscle in January. He has won six of his past seven fights, with the only loss coming in an interim title fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 200 last July. Rodriguez (10-1) has stormed through the featherweight division since debuting with the UFC in 2014. He’s 6-0 inside the Octagon, with two knockout wins. Edgar is a -140 favorite.

Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis

It’s a flyweight bout between Americans. Cejudo (10-2) is looking to turn around a two-fight skid, which began last April when he suffered a TKO loss to defending champion Demetrious Johnson. He then dropped a split decision to Joseph Benavidez in December. Pettis (15-2) is riding a three-fight win streak, but has not yet fought the quality of competition Cejudo has. Pettis is the younger brother of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.