UFC Jacksonville looks to bring the heat to Florida with some explosive matchups this Saturday.
Undefeated powerhouse, Ilia Topuria, is looking to send the veteran, Josh Emmett, home and earn a title shot with a finish in the main event. Also looking to climb the rankings are Amanda Ribas and Maycee Barber in the co-main event. There’s another ranked women’s bout earlier in the card, featuring Tabatha Ricci and the Canadian, Gillian Robertson.
Finally, we’ve got a truly insane matchup between Mateusz Rębecki and Loik Radzhabov that’s sure to bring the violence. 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 9:30 AM PST)
Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas
BET99 Odds
Brundage: -184 Dumas: +145
Over 1.5: +133 Under 1.5: -172
Neither of these men should be fully trusted considering their history with the UFC. With that said, Brundage has shown a much more well-rounded, consistent skillset than Dumas. Considering neither of these men tend to go much farther than the 1st Round, this is one of the few occasions I’ll be taking an Under 1.5 Rounds bet at a line like this.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Cody Brundage by Finish at -145
Under 1.5 Rounds at -172
Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins
BET99 Odds
Emmers: -209 Jenkins: +166
Over 2.5: -186 Under 2.5: +145
On tape, both guys have looked pretty skilled and well-rounded, Emmers just has a couple more UFC fights under his belt. That’s simply not enough to make him such a large favourite, especially considering the striking of Jenkins. I’ll take a stab at the underdog here.
We’ve also seen Emmers get finished on the feet before while Jenkins has MANY KOs on his record. With that in mind, Under 2.5 Rounds at +145 seems like quite the deal.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Jack Jenkins (The Underdog) at +166
Under 2.5 Rounds at +145
Trevor Peek vs. Chepe Mariscal
BET99 Odds
Peek: -120 Mariscal: +100
Over 1.5: +145 Under 1.5: -189
Given what I’ve seen of Peek’s fighting style and ability, his undefeated record will not stay intact much longer. Mariscal, although he hasn’t shown much yet either, is a much more technical, grappling-heavy fighter. I have to have faith that Mariscal can get the job done.
Every single one of Peek’s fights have ended before the 1.5 Round mark and I don’t see that stopping here, so I’ll be taking another rare Under 1.5 Round betting line.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Jose Mariscal (The Underdog) at +100
Under 1.5 Rounds at -189
Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van
BET99 Odds
Zhumagulov: -200 Van: +162
Over 2.5: -193 Under 2.5: +150
Finally, after years of getting tragically unlucky with his results, Zhalgas seems to be catching a break. He’s been scheduled to fight multiple times this year and they keep cancelling on him, so he’s been ready and training hard this whole time. Van has struggled with grapplers and has been submitted before. With this massive discrepancy in skill and experience, Zhalgas should be able to notch a finish. Also, ALL of Van’s fights have ended in a finish. With these odds, our chances of grabbing profit seem pretty high.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Zhalgas Zhumagulov by Finish at +266
Under 2.5 Rounds at +150
Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson
BET99 Odds
Ricci: -137 Robertson: +110
Over 2.5: -217 Under 2.5: +166
Robertson has already made a big statement, dominating in her first win at 115 pounds, coming down from 125. Ricci is skilled, but is quite small in comparison to Robertson. With Ricci preferring to grapple, I wouldn’t be surprised if Robertson, (who is a submission ace) was able to grab a finish or control the fight on the ground with her size. Also, with Robertson being the flyweight with the most finishes in UFC history, why not take a chance at the Under 2.5?
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Gillian Robertson (The Underdog) at +110
Under 2.5 Rounds at +166
Mateusz Rębecki vs. Loik Radzhabov
BET99 Odds
Rębecki: -140 Radzhabov: +114
Over 2.5: -186 Under 2.5: +145
Rębecki is essentially a human wrecking ball. However, what we saw against Fiore, that when he can’t get the finish, he slows down as the fight progresses. When you combine that with Radzhabov’s PFL experience, his skill and his cardio, the underdog has a good chance in this matchup. Also, with both men’s wild finishing ability, it seems a tad odd that the Under 2.5 is at plus money.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Loik Radzhabov (The Underdog) at +114
Under 2.5 Rounds at +145
Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman
BET99 Odds
Brown: -234 Turman: +185
Over 2.5: +110 Under 2.5: -140
Turman just hasn’t really shown any elite ability in the UFC to this point while Brown has consistently been dangerous on the feet and on the ground. To bring the odds down for Brown, we’ll take him by finish. That said, both guys have been in some decisions recently, so, we’ll balance out the bets with the Over 2.5 at +110.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Randy Brown by Finish at -106
Over 2.5 Rounds at +110
Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe
BET99 Odds
Magny: -172 Rowe: +140
Over 2.5: -186 Under 2.5: +145
Magny has become that guy that separates the top 15 from everyone else and Rowe just isn’t top 15 material. Magny is the all-time wins leader in his weight class for that exact reason and we’ll lower the odds by taking the way he wins almost every fight: a decision. Then, to balance it out in case Rowe gets an upset KO or Magny gets a sub, we’ll take the Under 2.5.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Neil Magny by Decision at +105
Under 2.5 Rounds at +140
Main Card (1:00 PM PST)
Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva
BET99 Odds
Allen: -193 Silva: +157
Over 1.5: -148 Under 1.5: +116
Allen’s stock has been continuously rising for the last year or so with his big wins while Silva has been going downhill fast. If Allen can avoid the power shots of Silva, he’ll very easily win this fight and likely grab a finish. Normally I wouldn’t take the Under 1.5, but both of these guys are aggressive and tend to get caught by things. I wouldn’t be shocked by a 1st Round finish from either side.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Brendan Allen by Finish at -118
Under 1.5 Rounds at +116
David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos
BET99 Odds
Onama: +185 Santos: -234
Over 2.5: +108 Under 2.5: -138
Onama looked like he could be the real deal, but, after some rough performances, I think Santos could be his last fight in the UFC. Santos is extremely motivated, dangerous and well-rounded; I wouldn’t be surprised if that led to a finish here. To balance out the numbers, especially considering Onama’s toughness, we’ll also take the Over 2.5 at +108.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Gabriel Santos by Finish at -105
Over 2.5 Rounds at +108
Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane
BET99 Odds
Tafa: -186 Lane: +150
Over 1.5: +150 Under 1.5: -193
With two massive, aggressive heavyweights like this, it seems like yet another situation where the Under 1.5 makes the most sense. I also have to respect what Tafa has been able to do and shots he’s been able to withstand compared to the football player, Lane. To lower those odds, we’ll take the obvious prop bet of Tafa by KO.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Justin Tafa by KO at -132
Under 1.5 Rounds at -193
Co-Main Event
Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber
BET99 Odds
Ribas: -200 Barber: +160
Over 2.5: -213 Under 2.5: +162
Amanda Ribas has looked fantastic at 115 pounds, but this is 125 pounds and Barber is big. I think Ribas is better and should win… but Barber has a bizarre habit of winning controversial decisions. I can’t bet against the larger , younger fighter who seems to be one of the luckiest fighters on the roster. We’ve also seen both women grab finishes and get finished, maybe it happens again on Saturday.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Maycee Barber (The Underdog) at +160
Under 2.5 Rounds at +162
Main Event
Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
BET99 Odds
Emmett: +275 Topuria: -350
Over 2.5: +183 Under 2.5: -240
It’s unusual to see a main event mismatch with two men of this elite status, but that seems to be where we’re headed. Topuria has absolutely dismantled almost all of his opponents while Emmett has been winning some close, somewhat controversial decisions lately as he moves closer to retirement. Based on what I’ve seen the last couple years from both guys, this is looking like a rough night for Emmett and a possible retirement.
Topuria could grab the finish anywhere, but the odds are WAY too high to pick a simple finish. Because I have to choose one, I’ll side with the KO. Topuria is a lot faster than Emmett and has unnatural power. Plus, KOs are much more common than submissions. Finally, even though I’ve said multiple times now that Under 1.5 is rare to take, there’s something about this card that looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of early finishes.
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Ilia Topuria by KO at +137
Under 1.5 Rounds at (Odds Unavailable at time of post)
Parlay Opportunities
The Triple Play
Allen + Zhumagulov + Topuria (1.00 Units at +193)
The Grand Slam
Allen + Topuria + Brown + Magny (0.50 Units at +342)
The Sniper Pick
Brendan Allen at -193 for 4.00 Units