After a few weeks of events held at the Las Vegas Apex, the UFC is once again heading off to fight island this coming weekend. The next 3 events will take place in Abu Dhabi, which has become the second home of the UFC during the pandemic. UFC 253 will feature 5 fights on the main card, the headliner of which is a Middleweight Title Bout, although it is not the only title fight on the main card. That should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this event. There is a lot of ground to cover here, so let’s jump into the main card and take a closer look at the 5 fights on tap for Saturday night, along with their UFC odds.
UFC 253: Adesanya Vs Costa | MMA Betting
Hakeem Dawodu (+105) Vs Zubaira Tukhugov (-135)
The main card gets underway with a featherweight bout between a pair of fighters who are evenly matched, as you can see by the odds for this one. Dawodu is on a hot streak at the moment and comes into this bout on a 4-fight win streak. This run came after losing his first fight in the UFC, while taking his career mark to 11-1-1. Tukhugov is the more experienced fighter, coming in at 19-4-1. He recovered from his lone loss with a stunning opening round win last time out. Going with Tukhgov in this one.
Ketlen Vieira (-190) Vs Sijara Eubanks (+155)
The women are up next for a bantamweight bout that might not be as lopsided as you might think by looking at the records of these fighters. Vieira is 10-1 in her pro career and is coming in off a devastating first round loss to Irene Aldana in her last fight. Can she shake that off and get a win against Eubanks, who is 6-4 and on a 2-fight win streak? Eubanks tends to go the distance, but I still think that Vieira is a little too good for her.
Kai Kara-France (-245) Vs Brandon Royval (+205)
The evening kicks into high gear with a pair of ranked flyweight fighters looking to move up the totem pole. Kara-France is currently ranked in the top 10 in the division and comes into this bout with a 21-8 career record. He recently saw an 8-fight win streak come to an end with a loss to Brandon Moreno, but he bounced right back with a win. Royal has won 3 in a row to take his pro record to 11-4, but this is definitely a step up for him. I think this one goes the distance, with Kara-France getting the win.
Dominick Reyes (-275) Vs Jan Blachowicz (+215)
By the time this fight is over, one of these men will have laid claim to the vacant light-heavyweight title, but which of them will it be? Reyes comes in as the favorite, going 12-1 in his career to this point. He is, though, coming off his first career loss, going down by UD to Jon Jones, so no shame there. At 26-8, Blachowicz has been around a while and has certainly earned this title shot. He is on a 3-fight win streak, but I think he gets taken down by Reyes.
Israel Adesanya (-170) Vs Paulo Costa (+140)
The final bout of the night is a middleweight title fight, with Israel Adesanya looking to defend his belt against Paulo Costa in what promises to be a beauty. Adesanya is a perfect 19-0, with 78% of his wins coming by way of KO, although he has gone the distance in 4 of his last 6. Costa is also unbeaten at 13-0, with a staggering 92% of his wins coming via KO. All signs point to this one being a bit of a slugfest, but I am on the champ to retain his title.
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