UFC 289 will bring the big show back to the Great White North in Vancouver, Canada this weekend.
We may not be getting the explosive card we were hoping for, but the main and co-main events hope to make up for it. Amanda Nunes hopes to once again solidify her GOAT status with a win over Irene Aldana while Charles Oliveira and Beniel Dariush are battling it out for a title shot. There’s also an absolute banger on the main card with Dan Ige and Nate ‘the Train’ Landwehr squaring off.
Of course, we’ve also got a handful of Canadians making the walk, including Mike Malott, Marc-André Barriault, Kyle Nelson, Jasmine Jasudavicius and Aiemann Zahabi. BLÜ provides his best bets for all of these matchups (plus more) below along with the Bet99 Sportsbook Odds.
To follow BLÜ’s Best Betting System, simply put 1.00 Units on each of the bets below unless otherwise specified. When these bets are combined with the Sniper Pick and the parlays below, profits can be maximized and losses can be minimized. Nothing is ever a guarantee, but BLÜ’s goal is to bring consistent profit to the viewers over the long term and constantly refine his system.
Due to the unpredictable nature of betting sites like Bet99 and the sport of MMA, odds will likely change throughout the week and may be unavailable for some of these bets at the time this article is posted. This also means that BLÜ may opt to swap a couple of these bets out on Friday night for others in order to maximize profit.
The results of BLÜ’s Best Bets will be covered on ‘BLÜ’s Best Bets’, live on BLÜ’s Twitter (BLBEARD2), the Area 51 Sports Network Twitter (Area51SportsNet) and on YouTube (BLU-FC) next Wednesday at 4:00 PM (PST).
BLU’s Prelim Picks (Prelims begin at 4:00 PM PST)
Diana Belbiţă vs. Maria Oliveira
BET99 Odds
Belbiţă: -113 Oliveira: -109
Over 2.5: -313 Under 2.5: +233
Both of these women have had similar experiences in the UFC with a close fight against Gloria de Paula and a couple of hard-fought losses. There’s an interesting wrinkle with Belbiţă training in Canada, possibly holding the home crowd advantage, but they’re still essentially even. With that, we have to put the money on the underdog.
With no profit in sight for Over 2.5 at -313, the clear pick for our second bet is Under 2.5 at +233.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Maria Oliveira (The Underdog) at -109
Under 2.5 Rounds at +233
David Dvořák vs. Steve Erceg
BET99 Odds
Dvořák: -286 Erceg: +220
Over 2.5: -180 Under 2.5: +140
Dvořák is the clear favourite with his top 15 history, combined with the fact that this is Erceg’s UFC debut. To bring the odds down, we need to take advantage of prop bets and the Over/Under. Since Erceg has a lot of finishes, Dvořák is a clear favourite and the Under 2.5 line is at plus money, we’ll stick with the Under 2.5 line. From there, we’ll simply balance that out with Dvořák to win by decision, minimizing chances of a loss.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
David Dvořák by Decision (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Under 2.5 Rounds at +140
Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
BET99 Odds
Bilder: -250 Nelson: +200
Over 2.5: +108 Under 2.5: -138
Although Bilder still stands undefeated, he hasn’t faced anyone that’s truly elite yet. Meanwhile, Nelson has had close fights with that calibre of opponent, plus, he’s at home in Canada. With it being that close, you’ve gotta take the stab at the underdog.
Nelson, although he has been finished, is great at dragging fights out long. May as well take the opportunity to test that out and take the Over 2.5 line at +108.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Kyle Nelson (The Underdog) at +200
Over 2.5 Rounds at +108
Aiemann Zahabi vs. Aoriqileng
BET99 Odds
Zahabi: -105 Aoriqileng: -120
Over 2.5: + Under 2.5: +162
Zahabi is starting to get older and he simply doesn’t seem to have the right style to deal with someone as dangerous as Aoriqileng. When you consider the age and the matchup, plus the fact that China has been heavily developing their athletes at the performance institute in Shanghai, I’ve got my money on Aoriqileng.
When you have those factors working together with Aoriqileng’s ability to get a finish, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this matchup end before the 2.5 round marker.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Aoriqileng at -120
Under 2.5 Rounds at +162
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick
BET99 Odds
Jasudavicius: +250 Maverick: -325
Over 2.5: -367 Under 2.5: +266
I’ve become a fan of my fellow Canadian, Jasmine, but this matchup is definitely not on her side. Maverick’s only true loss in the UFC was to the wrecking ball known as Erin Blanchfield, wherein she lasted all 3 rounds. While Jasmine has been showing some great strategy and skill lately, she’s much older than Maverick and doesn’t have a great style to combat the grappling of Maverick.
In order to maximize our chances of profit, we’ll take the Under 2.5 (in case we see a sub from Maverick) and we’ll take the Maverick by Decision prop bet.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Miranda Maverick by Decision (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Under 2.5 Rounds at +266
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis
BET99 Odds
Imavov: -160 Curtis: +128
Over 2.5: -172 Under 2.5: +133
Imavov hasn’t really done anything all that impressive, losing his last one to Sean Strickland who came in on a couple week’s notice, straight from vacation mode. Curtis trains with Strickland and was in his corner that night, giving him a likely edge in this matchup. Plus, Curtis was on his way to beat Gastelum in his last fight and brings enough power to grab a finish here. We have to take the underdog, Chris Curtis, and we’ll add in the Under 2.5 at +133.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Chris Curtis (The Underdog) at +128
Under 2.5 Rounds at +133
Main Card (7:00 PM PST)
Eryk Anders vs. Marc-André Barriault
BET99 Odds
Anders: +112 Barriault: -138
Over 2.5: -175 Under 2.5: +136
Both men have had some issues with consistency, but Barriault seems like the more durable and more dangerous man. Normally I’d be trending towards the underdog in a fairly close matchup. But with this being in Barriault’s home country, I have to take the chance on him.
With so many finishes (wins and losses) between both men, it seems somewhat shocking that the Over 2.5 line is favoured. This seems like it’s priced wrong, so we’ll take advantage of that by taking it at +136.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Marc-André Barriault at -138
Under 2.5 Rounds at +136
Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
BET99 Odds
Ige: -260 Landwehr: +200
Over 2.5: -107 Under 2.5: -120
Landwehr has quickly become one of my favourite fighters to watch, but this is an awful matchup for him. Ige has only lost to the best men in the division and has had close fights with them as well. Sadly, Landwehr has been dominated by his elite opponents, getting hit quite a bit thanks to his explosive style. Dan Ige by Finish is an easy pick to make, balancing it out with the Over 2.5 betting line just in case Landwehr shows his legendary toughness.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Dan Ige by Finish (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Over 2.5 Rounds at -107
Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt
BET99 Odds
Malott: -213 Fugitt: +171
Over 2.5: +190 Under 2.5: -250
This matchup seems closer than most people realize, but you’ve still gotta favour the Canadian finisher, Malott. To bring the odds down, we’ll take him by finish. Then, to balance that out, also giving credit to the toughness of Fugitt, I’ll be taking the Over 2.5 line at +190.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Mike Malott by Finish (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Over 2.5 Rounds at +190
Co-Main Event
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
BET99 Odds
Oliveira: +120 Dariush: -148
Over 2.5: +154 Under 2.5: -200
These two are at the very top of the ladder when it comes to lightweights on this planet. With that in mind, either man can win, so we have to take a stab at the underdog. It wouldn’t be shocking for either man to grab a finish considering all of the finishes on their record, but they’re also both very tough and very skilled. At plus money, I’ll take the Over 2.5.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Charles Oliveira (The Underdog) at +120
Over 2.5 Rounds at +154
Main Event (Bantamweight Title Fight)
Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana
BET99 Odds
Nunes: -334 Aldana: +260
Over 2.5: -132 Under 2.5: +105
Looking at what Nunes did in her last fight, she still seems to be live for a KO win. Although she’ll also likely be able to take down Aldana easily, Aldana has some sneaky submission skills. Considering what happened with Peña in their first matchup, I could see Nunes getting subbed once again. It’s also pretty plausible, given their toughness, we see this fight go long.
Essentially, anything could happen here, we just need to balance those numbers to get the best result. With these 3 bets, we should be able to get some profit going.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Amanda Nunes by KO (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Irene Aldana by Submission (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Over 3.5 Rounds (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Parlay Opportunities
The Triple Play
Ige + Dvorak + Maverick (1.00 Units at +160)
The Grand Slam
Ige + Maverick + Nunes + Malott (0.50 Units at +258)
The Sniper Pick
Dan Ige at -260 for 10.00 Units