While the entire sporting world sits at a standstill during this global pandemic, the UFC seems intent on going about business as usual. That is perhaps not entirely true, as they will be having UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida this coming Saturday night take place in an empty arena. This is an event that has been off and on for a couple of months now, with a couple of fighters on the main card not who we saw in the first proposed iteration. Still, the main card at UFC 249 promises to be an absolute beauty, so we are going to do out best to break it down, complete with UFC 249 odds and predictions. There are 5 fights to cover, so let’s get right to the action.
MMA UFC 249 Full Card Odds
Greg Hardy Vs Yorgan De Castro
The main card kicks off with a Heavyweight battle between a pair of fighters who have paid their dues in the Contender Series before jumping to the UFC proper. Hardy is perhaps best known for his time in the NFL, but his high profile has seen him land on several cards thus far, albeit with a mixed bag of results. You never really know what you are going to get from Hardy, as he goes from looking great to looking terrible from one fight to the next. De Castro has power in spades, so the chances of this fight going the distance seems slim. Slight nod to Hardy here.
Jeremy Stephens (+200) Vs Calvin Kattar (-255)
Next up on the main card is a Featherweight bout that should deliver some serious action. Stephens is one of those fighters who has been around for about a decade or so now, and while never really scaling the heights of the division, he is a fighter who will go head to head with anyone, compiling a 28-17 record along the way. Kattar is a fighter on the rise and one that we should probably be keeping an eye on. I think he continues to move up the ranks with a win here.
Francis Ngannou (-270) vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+210)
Originally slated for 5 rounds, this one has been moved back to a 3-rounder, but given the power that both of these men possess, shaving off a couple of rounds probably isn’t really going to matter. Ngannou has, after a loss at UFC 226, rebounded with a trio of wins via KO that he delivered in a combined time of just over 2 minutes. Rozenstruik has won each of his 10 bouts and loudly campaigned for a fight with Ngannou, which may well come back to haunt him, as I think he is in a little over his head in this one.
Henry Cejudo (-235) Vs Dominick Cruz (+195)
This bantamweight bout is a bit of a strange one in that it’s a little tougher to know what to expect. Cejudo, the reigning champion, is coming into this bout on a 5-fight winning streak and looks like a good bet against a fighter who has not set foot in the Octagon since December 2016. Do not let that fool you, though, as Cruz has all the tools to come out and win this one. I just think that he might need a fight or two under his bet before he is back at his best, so I am on Cejudo to win.
Tony Ferguson (-173) Vs Justin Gaethje (+143)
This is down as an interim Lightweight title bout, as Ferguson was initially supposed to fight Khabib at this event before COVID-19 and travel restrictions got in the way. Gaethje is certainly a very decent replacement, but does he have what it takes to bring Ferguson’s stunning winning streak to an end. You have to go back a long way to find the last time that Ferguson lost, as he comes into this one on a 12-fight winning run. I like him to land a KO and get to 13 in a row.
