UFC 220 Betting Preview & Expert Picks

Boston, Massachusetts is the home for the UFC 220 event that is set to go this coming Saturday, January 20. It’s a solid card featuring a number of big names, but the headline bout is the heavyweight battle between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. There will be plenty of great UFC 220 betting opportunities on Saturday night, and we have picked out what, on paper at least, look to be the 4 best fights of the night. Let’s dig a little deeper into those bouts, including the latest UFC odds, and make some predictions as we go.

UFC 220 Betting Preview & Expert Picks

• Date: January 20, 2018
• Venue: TD Garden
• City: Boston (Massachusetts)
• Number of Fights: 11
• TV: UFC Network

Dustin Ortiz vs. Alexandre Pantoja (Preliminary)

• Country: United States / Brazil
• Record: 17-7-0 / 18-2-0
• UFC 220 Betting Odds: Ortiz +135 / Pantoja -160

Dustin Ortiz comes into this fight with a ton of experience under his belt, which may leave you wondering why he is the underdog here. While Ortiz is undoubtedly a great fighter, he is one that seems to get tight in the bigger bouts, consistently struggling versus fighters ranked in the top 10 in the weight class. Pantoja is an up and coming fighter who has looked very impressive in his two wins in the UFC, and a victory over Ortiz will paint him as a force to be reckoned with in the flyweight division. Pantoja should take this one.

Gleison Tibau vs. Islam Makhachev (Preliminary)

• Country: Brazil / Russia
• Record: 41-11-0 / 14-1-0
• UFC 220 Betting Odds: Tibau +185 / Makhachev -225

Gleison Tibau has spent 2 years out in the cold after being handed a 2-year drug suspension. He is going to have a tough road back, as the light heavyweight division is one that is filled to brimming with talented fighters. One of those guys is Islam Makhachev, who comes into this bout with a 3-1 record in the UFC. The problem that Tibau is going to face here is shaking off the rust that is sure to have built up after two years away from the Octagon. I don’t see this one going the distance, and I like Makhachev to win.

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Daniel Cormier (Main Card)

• Country: Switzerland / United States
• Record: 15-1-0 / 19-1-0
• UFC 220 Betting Odds: Oezdemir +260 / Cormier -330

Cormier will be defending his light heavyweight title in this bout but is more than a little fortunate to be in that position. Cormier lost the crown to Jon Jones, but it was later found that Jones had failed a drug test, stripping him of the belt that was then handed back to Cormier. He is going to have his hands full once again, as Volkan Oezdemir is a fighter that has developed a habit of defeating top 10 fighters, including an outstanding win over Ovince Saint Preux. These two match up well, and this is a fight that I believe will go the distance, with Cormier getting the decision.

Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou (Main Card)

• Country: United States / Cameroon
• Record: 17-2-0 / 11-1-0
• UFC 220 Betting Odds: Miocic +150 / Ngannou -180

The shine has come off the heavyweight division in recent years, but Stipe Miocic has done a good job of bringing some credibility back to the weight class. This fight could further help the heavyweight division, as it has all the makings of a classic. Ngannou has arrived on the UFC scene with a major splash and is well worthy of a title. Whether it is a little too soon remains to be seen, but this is a fighter that is going to be around for a while. This is another fight that I think will go the distance, and I believe it will be Miocic who wins.

Rest of the Card

• Calvin Kattar vs. Shane Burgos (Main)
• Gian Villante vs. Francimar Barroso (Main)
• Thomas Almeida vs. Rob Font (Main)
• Kyle Bochniak vs. Brandon Davis (Prelims)
• Sabah Homasi vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (Prelims)
• Dan Ige vs. Julio Arce (Prelims)
• Matt Bessette vs. Enrique Barzola (Prelims)