It's almost time for UFC 331, a big card with championship stakes in the main event. That fight is a rematch between flyweight champion Joshua Van and the man from whom he took the title, Alexandre Pantoja. In their first fight, Pantoja entered as champion but lost the belt when he suffered a fluke injury shortly after the opening bell.
Pantoja is now looking to regain the championship, while Van wants to establish himself as the undeniable flyweight king. With so much intriguing action set for UFC 331, there will no doubt be plenty of interest in the event, including at sportsbooks. With that in mind, we've once again looked at all the event's main card fights to identify our best bets for each. red event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription!
Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year! After going 3-2 with our best bets for UFC 330, we are sitting at 21-21 for the year. Now we look ahead to this weekend with the goal of getting back in the black, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better.
Let's take a look at this week's picks with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Baraniewski has been spectacular in his three UFC fights (as well as his appearance on Dana White's Contender Series). None of his opponents have managed to last 90 seconds in the Octagon and in nine professional bouts, he has never seen the second round.
Menifield is a considerable step up in competition for Baraniewski and sits as something of a fine gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division. Baraniewski is landing an absurd 11.35 strikes per minute, but doing so in very short bouts. Menifield only absorbs 3.81 strikes per minute, so there's a push and pull on whose striking approach will be more effective.
I believe Baraniewski has the ability to implement his gameplan more than most fighters, and Menifield is good, but not good enough to outlast that pressure, and he has been knocked out four times in the UFC. I simply can't find a line that matches our "best bets" criteria. Steveson is a -2100 favorite and the fight ending in under 1.5 rounds is -620.
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