UFC Vegas 72 Best Bets
In last week’s edition of Best Bets, I complained about how UFC Vegas 71 was not a great card to bet on. Well, this week is even worse. The card is not great, either. Still, here we are hunting winners. Let’s take a look at three of the best bets you can make on UFC Vegas 72.
(*All lines are taken from BetMGM and are accurate as of 3 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023.*)
Song Yadong +105
In the main event of UFC Vegas 72, Song Yadong will fight Ricky Simon. Simon is a -125 favorite while Yadong is a +105 underdog.
In this fight, Yadong will be the much better striker. I like Simon’s striking, but it is mostly centered around fundamental boxing combinations and solid power. Yadong has more diverse combinations and is far quicker. I think Yadong can land a lot of solid strikes because of that. On the flip side, Simon’s path to victory will be to land takedowns and get control time on the ground. If Yadong can defend takedowns early I think he can make Simon tired and pull ahead in the later rounds.
I think this will be a close fight, but I am willing to bet on Yadong. Yadong looked good in his fight against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 60. I think he is on an upward trajectory. Plus, the skills matchup is in his favor.
Caio Borralho via submission +150
In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 72, Caio Borralho will fight Michal Oleksiejczuk. Borralho is a massive favorite at -375 while Oleksiejczuk is a +290 underdog. Instead of playing the money line, I am taking Borralho to win this fight by submission at +150.
I really like Borralho and I think he is the best prospect in the middleweight division. Borralho is an outstanding grappler with solid takedowns, good submissions and the ability to control the fight from the top. That is a good set of skills to have in a fight against Oleksiejczuk, who struggles against solid grapplers. With the gap in grappling skills in mind, I think Borralho can find a submission before this fight ends.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta +150
At UFC Vegas 72, Waldo Cortes-Acosta will fight Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Cortes-Acosta is a +150 underdog while de Lima is a -185 favorite. I am making a play on the underdog here.
I’m interested to see how Cortes-Acosta looks against tougher competition. That statement is the reason he is the underdog. This is a solid step up in competition, but I still think he can get the job done. Cortes-Acosta has impressed with his quick hands and solid boxing combinations in the past. Plus, he has much better cardio than de Lima. I am worried about the leg kicks and grappling of de Lima, but not enough to dissuade me from making this bet.
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