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UFC on ESPN 1: Ngannou vs. Velasquez Betting
UFC on ESPN 1 takes place on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The card airs live on ESPN starting 9pm ET.
For the UFC’s very first card on ESPN primetime....bah gawd! Is that Cain Velasquez’s music? It is! The former heavyweight champion and the man many felt should have been the greatest big man of all time is coming back!
After almost three years on the sideline, recovering from injuries, taking personal time off and watching his BFF Daniel Cormier win the belt that he used to hold, Velasquez is back at it again. And he’s jumping right back into the fire with a matchup against the division’s premier knockout artist: Francis Ngannou.
What an awesome matchup - and one that should dictate the title picture for the year. At the very least, the winner of this tilt could be argued as the next challenger for the belt. It’d doubtful that Cain would fight his teammate, but a pairing with former champion Stipe Miocic would be a compelling one.
Ngannou recently regained his swag with a quick knockout over Curtis Blaydes. If he’s able to pull of the upset here, then we’re sure that Cormier would be happy to avenge his partner’s loss.
Also on the card is lightweight prospect James Vick, bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera, Cynthia Calvillo, former jailbird Emily Whitmire, Kron Gracie - son of legendary Rickson Gracie and rising flyweight star Andrea Lee.
That’s a lot of intriguing names on ESPN. Take a look at the scheduled UFC on ESPN 1 fights below, and make sure to check in during fight week for in-depth betting previews on how to bet online. UFC odds from BookMaker.eu are typically released on Monday before each event - though big fight bookings are usually available much earlier. Live UFC betting is also available to hedge any of your bets as well.
UFC on ESPN 1 Lineup (Subject to change and additions)
Main Event, Heavyweight - Francis Ngannou +180 vs. Cain Velasquez -240
Lightweight - James Vick vs. Paul Felder
Women’s Strawweight - Alexandra Blu vs. Emily Whitmire
Women’s Strawweight - Cortney Casey vs. Cynthia Calvillo
Bantamweight - Jimmie Rivera -205 vs. Aljamain Sterling +165
Featherweight - Alex Caceres vs. Kron Gracie
Featherweight - Andre Fili vs. Myles Jury
Welterweight - Vicente Luque vs. Bryan Barberena
Bantamweight - Renan Barao vs. Luke Sanders
Bantamweight - Benito Lopez vs. Manny Bermudez
Lightweight - Scott Holtzman vs. Nik Lentz
Women’s Strawweight - Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel
Women’s Flyweight - Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Andrea Lee
Bet on UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Velasquez opened as a -240 favorite, with Ngannou at +180 on the comeback. General rule of thumb is that oddsmakers tend to favor wrestlers over strikers, and a healthy Cain was seen as the best heavyweight wrestler of his generation. But at 36, can he be the same fighter he was before so many major injuries? That’s the big question here, as one mistake against the explosive Ngannou would be all it takes to put a serious damper on his comeback.
As for Ngannou, is he really “back to his old self” after a quick knockout of Blaydes? It must have been nice to get back in the win column, but he was never really tested in the same way that he was against Miocic and Lewis (to a lesser extent). Beating Cain would put every doubt to rest.
Jimmie Rivera recently had a 20-fight! win streak snapped by Marlon Moraes, momentarily putting his title hopes on hold. He bounced back with a win over John Dodson, putting him right back in the mix. His fight against Sterling is one that keeps his name in the conversation, as Moraes is on the championship backburner waiting on Dillashaw. For what it’s worth, Rivera opened as a -205 favorite, with Sterling at +165.
Lightweight James Vick looked ready to force himself into the lightweight top 5, but a quick loss to Justin Gaethje put the brakes on his hype real fast. He looks to bounce back against Paul Felder in a matchup between two action fighters that should get the crowd pumping.
Of all the Gracies in MMA history, Rickson was the most feared. Though he never set foot inside the octagon, his son Kron will carry the torch for him. There are a bunch of Gracies in promotions around the world, but this is the direct descendant of a legend, and he’s won all four of his pro fights by submission. MMA fans are rightly eager for a look at him.
Stay Tuned for Fight Odds and Updates
Make sure to check the fight odds at BookMaker.eu for all your available betting options. For pay-per-view cards, odds usually release early for the bigger fights. In fact, you can bet on some fight odds right now. Odds for the entire card are generally available on Monday of fight week.
And during fight week, keep an eye out for our in-depth betting guides that we post during that time as well! You’ll find detailed analyses for fights, common sense betting picks and underdog specials to help you win some cash before the night’s over.
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