UFC 298 Best Bets
UFC 298 is a sensational pay-per-view event with multiple outstanding fights. In this post, we will cover the event from a betting perspective and take a look at three of the best bets you can make for UFC 298.
*All lines are taken from DraftKings and are accurate as of 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. *
Ilia Topuria +105
The UFC 298 main event features a featherweight bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. The bout is closely lined as Volkanovski is a -125 favorite while Topuria is a +105 underdog. I am siding with the underdog as one of my favorite bets on UFC 298.
I think this will be a very close fight, but Topuria can present Volkanovski with problems that featherweight can not. First of all, Topuria is a short boxer. That is a style that Volkanovski has not seen in a significant period.
I believe that Topuria’s boxing style can stifle some of Volkanovski’s offense. That is because he is great at sliding back and landing big counters. That will hurt Volkanovski’s ability to pressure forward with combinations. In the pocket, he is one of the few fighters that can trade with Volkanovski.
If this fight is taking place on the feet, Topuria will have an edge in power and durability. That is a serious advantage in a five-round fight. In my opinion, that makes Topuria a solid bet for UFC 298.
Anthony Hernandez ITD +100
At UFC 298, Anthony Hernandez will fight Roman Kopylov. Hernandez is a sizeable -245 favorite while Kopylov is a +200 underdog. I like that favorite and think he gets it done inside the distance at a +100 price tag. That is the second bet that I like on UFC 298.
Hernandez has a fairly large grappling and cardio advantage in this fight. Those are two things that I love. The grappling skills are legit too. Hernadez excels at chaining takedowns together and he does the same with submissions. That yields success. Once Hernandez gets in on a takedown, he works until he lands the takedown. At that point, he immediately starts working towards submissions. If he stops working towards a submission, he aggressively hunts ground and pound.
On the other side of things, Kopylov has struggled against grapplers. On the feet, he has serious knockout potential. I don’t think he will have many chances to use that striking, however. Hernandez is a relentless grappler who should wrestle early and often.
If Hernandez wins this fight, it should be a finish. In his UFC career, he has finished four of his five UFC wins. That includes performances where he outpaced fighters like Marc Andre-Barriault and Jun Yong Park. Those are wins where he outlasted other fighters who attempted to weaponize cardio.
All things considered, this is a grappler that weaponizes pace to finish fights against a striker who has struggled in grappling exchanges. That leads me to bet Hernandez by finish at UFC 298.
Rinya Nakamura ITD -175
The final bet that I like for UFC 298 is for Rinya Nakamura to finish Carlos Vera inside the distance. That is priced at -175. In my opinion, that is a solid way to bet on the -1350 betting favorite.
This fight is fairly simple in my opinion. Nakamura is a 27-year-old who is a prospect with title potential. Vera is a 36-year-old taking this fight on short notice to get his foot in the door with the UFC. Nakamura is rightfully a massive favorite.
Nakamura is a lethal finisher. In his eight fights, he has finished six of them. Furthermore, he can finish the fight on the feet or ground. In striking exchanges, he is fast and lands knockout punches. On the ground, he is an elite wrestler with serious submission skills.
I am high on Nakamura from an overall perspective and believe this is a good fight for him. Despite having to lay chalk, his inside-the-distance prop is a solid bet for UFC 298.
***
CLICK HERE for more of our UFC/MMA content
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
