UFC Atlantic City gambling preview: Will Erin Blanchfield keep rolling toward a title shot?

After back-to-back weekends within the APEX, the UFC hits the highway on Saturday for UFC Atlantic City, which is headlined by a girls’s flyweight bout between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot. Given the state of the flyweight division, this looks like a surefire title eliminator bout, so who will depart Saturday night time subsequent in line for the throne, and how are you going to revenue? Let’s get to it.

As all the time, all odds are courtesy of our pals at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Straight Bets

Erin Blanchfield (-192)

I’ve made my ideas about Blanchfield no secret on the varied MMA Preventing movies and podcasts: She’s the very best feminine fighter alive in the present day. Blanchfield is a nightmare to cope with on the bottom, and her athleticism, tempo, and sturdiness make her almost inconceivable to beat over 25 minutes. Her weakest space stays her putting, however she’s greater than keen to throw down, and she or he’s powerful sufficient that she will win that section of the sport via will energy. The worst half for different flyweights is she’s solely 24 years outdated; she is simply scratching the floor of her peak type, and that’s dangerous information for everybody else.

That stated, I’ve quite a lot of respect for Manon Fiorot. She’s huge and athletic and a great striker, if not a very threatening one. I’ve in contrast her to athletic Katlyn Chookagian earlier than, and I stand by that. She’s additionally a great defensive wrestler, which implies she goes to have the ability to take a look at Blanchfield. However since she lacks huge energy in her putting, I anticipate “Chilly Blooded” to stroll via the hearth and take over because the struggle heads into the later rounds.

Vicente Luque (-112)

Luque is simply 32 years outdated, however he someway appears historic. A few of that comes from being round for thus lengthy. Nevertheless it’s additionally from the truth that he’s taken quite a lot of injury over the course of his profession (the person has 4 “Struggle of the Evening” bonuses for a motive). However in his most up-to-date outing in opposition to Rafael dos Anjos, he bought away from his reckless, brawler fashion and leaned on his grappling benefit. He ought to be capable of do the identical in opposition to Joaquin Buckley, who’s a strong fighter however tends to fade down the stretch.

Buckley has seemed good since dropping again right down to welterweight, however Luque is a giant step up, and I feel the young-but-old canine nonetheless has sufficient tread on the tires to get this accomplished.

Ibo Aslan (-130)

I’ve been betting all of my favorite prospects from the newest season of Contender Sequence this 12 months, and so far, it’s been figuring out. Mixed, the “Large Paws On A Pet” tier is 6-0 since becoming a member of the UFC, and with Aslan slotting into that group, that is a straightforward wager for me. A few of you is likely to be considering, wait, didn’t Aslan lose to Anton Turkalj a couple of years in the past? Positive did. However they have been each 23 years outdated then. Aslan has improved leaps and bounds since then, and I feel “The Pleasure Man” is in for a tough night.

Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures

Prop Bets

Loopy Godinez To Win By Determination (-135)

In the most effective fights on the whole card, Godinez faces Virna Jandiroba in a bout that has exterior implications for the 115-pound title. And luckily for Godinez, she’s bought a great likelihood to win it.

Godinez is all stress, tempo, and quantity, and that traces up nicely in opposition to Jandiroba, who’s an elite grappler however not the very best wrestler. On the toes, she ought to merely out-work Jandiroba, and given how sturdy of a defensive wrestler she is, it’s unlikely she’ll be taken down persistently. Given {that a} end is very unlikely (Jandiroba has by no means been stopped, and 9 of Godinez’s 12 profession wins got here on the playing cards), this prop wager is the precise play.

Photograph by Paul Rutherford/Getty Pictures

Lengthy Shot of the Week

Chris Weidman To Win By Submission (+650)

Sure, Weidman is 39 years outdated. Sure, he’s misplaced seven of his previous 9 fights. Sure, he suffered a catastrophic leg damage that without end modified him and his profession. All of this stuff are undoubtedly true.

However what if?

Even factoring in the entire above info, Bruno Silva just isn’t a world beater. He’s 1-4 in his previous 5 bouts, and 7 of his 10 profession losses have come by submission. Earlier than he grew to become well-known for knocking out Anderson Silva, Weidman was an NCAA All-American wrestler and a rattling good submission grappler. Add to that, Weidman is undefeated in opposition to fighters named Silva – and undefeated in New Jersey.

All the things is lining up Weidman on Saturday.

Wrap Up

Whereas final week’s APEX card might not have been nice, it was no less than a winning week. Now that we’re out and into an actual venue, let’s hope we carry the great luck with us. No parlay this week, as I solely had a couple of bets I actually appreciated, so let’s hope the straight motion does us nicely.

Till subsequent week, benefit from the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

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