Online sportsbook Bovada has released UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Volkov odds and has listed Volkov as the -200 favorite with Overeem coming back at +160. This means you would have to bet $200 to profit $100 with a Volkov win, while a $100 bet. We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 187 event in Las Vegas. Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout.
At the beginning of the Fight Night 139 hype was a scheduled bout between Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung. In fact, this was the headline event for the UFC betting odds. But Edgar had to pull out due. UFC Fight Night odds and betting lines from the top sportsbooks. Compare betting odds to find the best odds for UFC Fight Night.
On Saturday November 10th, the UFC will be holding its UFC Fight Night 139 live from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. This event features 13 MMA bouts and is headlined by a featherweight battle between “The Korean Zombie” Cahn Sun Jung and “Pantera” Yair Rodriguez. The co-main event will feature a welterweight clash between Donald Cerrone and Mike Perry. Both of these top fights are expected to be action packed MMA bouts.
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There are no championship fights on the card, but there are three women’s fights and some intriguing matchups throughout the fight lineup. The UFC Fight Night 139 card has been split up according to Prelims and Main Card fights. All betting odds are courtesy of BetOnline.
The first three fights of the night can be seen on UFC’s Fight Pass and will begin at 6:30 PM ET.
Gunther (7-0) is the biggest underdog of the night and it seems unfair that the UFC even put him in this matchup against Ramos (8-2). Since his narrow UFC debut loss in 2017, Ramos has gone 2-0 and submitted both opponents. There’s no reason to think he can’t do that again this weekend. Ramos is a superior grappler and will most likely make Gunther tap early in this fight. Gunther might have been a colorful character on TUF 27, but he lost two fights and appears outclassed in this bout. John is not even worth taking a flier on in this fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ramos gets the tap out win in the 1st Round.
Shelton (11-5) has lost 3 of his last 4 fights. However, all four of them went the distance. Prior to his UFC debut in Jan 2017, Shelton had won 4 straight pro fights. Shelton was also a semifinalist on TUF 24. He’ll be going up against Morales (9-1) who is 1-1 since joining the UFC. Morales lost his last fight, which was in February.
I believe both fighters will look to find an opening on the ground as Morales likes to submit his opponents and Shelton is an effective grappler. Morales has 5 submission wins in his career and so does Shelton.
This fight is a toss-up in a lot of ways, but if we focus on their ground skills then you have to lean toward Shelton in this one. Look for Shelton to grind out a victory by late round Submission or Decision.
I don’t envy Joby Sanchez (11-3) in this one, as the UFC asked him to step in for an injured Espinoza on a week’s notice. Overall, Joby is 1-3 in his 4 fights for the UFC. However, he did perform well on the DWTNCS last year. It earned him a second stint with the company. Unfortunately, he lost 9 months ago via 1st Round submission to Roberto Sanchez.
There’s a great chance that De La Rosa (10-1) also makes Joby tap out in this fight. De La Rosa has 6 submission wins for his career, including during 5 of his last 6 wins. Mark lost 11 months ago in his UFC debut, but bounced back 4 months ago as he defeated Garcia via 2nd Round submission.
I don’t believe Sanchez has the ground game to withstand De La Rosa’s attack. The only chance Job has is by landing a massive strike that either KO’s Mark or stuns him long enough for a submission. In reality, De La Rosa should win this fight easily. Don’t be surprised if it’s a 1st Round submission victory.
The second portion of Prelim fights will air live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 8 PM ET.
In reality, this fight should’ve been on the opening portion of the Prelim card and not the FS1 portion. Neither fighter has much going for them. Cooper (3-4) has lost 2 of her last 3 fights and 4 of her last 6. Although she performed well on TUF 23, Cooper hasn’t impressed since then.
Yoder (5-4) hasn’t looked good either in her recent fights. Ashley has lost 3 contests in a row, however, they all have gone the distance. Unfortunately, they were all 3 inside the octagon which means she could see a pink slip if she loses this fight.
This matchup seems pointless and questionable on every level. Cooper is giving up 4 inches in height and 5 inches in reach. Both women will look to get a submission victory. However, all 4 of Cooper’s losses have come via submission, which makes me believe that she will be prone to Yoder’s ground attack. I expect an early round submission win for Yoder.
I agree with the oddsmakers in this fight as these two fighters are very similar and pretty much as even as you can get. I believe the reason that Skelly (17-3) isn’t the clear-cut favorite is because he hasn’t fought in over a year and a half.
Moffett (13-3) is stepping inside the octagon for the first time, but has won 3 straight fights including a victory on DWTNCS in August. Bobby prefers to make his opponents tap out as he has 8 submission wins in his career. Skelly has 10 submission wins in his career.
This fight will come down to one of two things: the better standup strikes and not making any mistakes on the ground. Both fighters are very proficient on the ground and can make an opponent tap out at any given moment. The difference for me in this fight is that I believe Skelly is a step up in competition for Moffett. I believe Skelly is also the better fighter with more experience at this level. Im going with a late round win for Skelly either via submission or TKO.
It’s been two years since Dariush (14-4-1) has lost won a fight. That was when he upset Magomedov with a decision win. Since then, Beneil has gone 0-2-1. Dariush has flashed some legit fighting skills, but the last 2 years makes me question where his head is at.
For Moises (11-2), he’s stepping in on 2 weeks’ notice after Gruetzemacher pulled out of the fight against Dariush. This will be Moises first trip inside the octagon. However, he did win in August on an episode of DWTNCS.
So, this fight comes down to two unknowns: Dariush’s confidence level and Moises stepping in on short notice for his UFC debut.
I believe that Dariush is the more polished fighter, but I like the potential that Moises has. Let’s not forget he was a former champion in RFA, so he does have talent. I’m taking the upset in this one by going with Moises.
Erosa (22-5) is returning to the UFC for the second time after going 1-1 in his first stint, roughly 2 years ago. Erosa earned this opportunity after KO’s Emmers on DWTNCS in June. Julian has won 3 straight fights and has a 5 inch advantage in height. Unfortunately, I don’t see that working in Erosa’s favor for this fight. Smith (8-1) has won 4 straight fights, with the last 3 coming by way of KO/TKO. He also earned this opportunity via a KO win on DWTNCS.
Devonte is the better striker of these two fighters and has 7 KO/TKO wins in his career. Two of Erosa’s five losses have come via KO/TKO. I expect Smith to work his way into tight quarters and land some big shots that will either KO Erosa or stun him enough to allow Devonte to jump on top and pummel his way to a TKO win. Either way, I don’t see Erosa lasting past the 2nd Round in this one.
The Main Card can also be seen on Fox Sports 1 and begins at 10 PM ET.
This fight is a de facto TUF 27 Finale as Pena (5-0) should’ve won the finale, but missed it due to injury. His opponent Trizano (7-0) ended up winning the fight. With that said, the UFC saw the potential in this matchup and booked it for UFC Fight Night 139.
These two young prospects could be groomed into solid fighters for the company. However, Pena seems to have the higher ceiling of the two. Additionally, Pena has a 4 inch height and 4 inch reach advantage over Trizano.
Trizano’s best chance is to get this fight to the ground where Pena’s arsenal of strikes, reach and height advantages would be limited. However, that’s easier said than done. Trizano is going to have to navigate an onslaught of dangerous punches and kicks both from a distance and up close.
From what I’ve seen with both fighters, I’m going with Pena in this one. I believe he’s slightly better than Trizano and should be able to finish this fight within the allotted rounds.
This match was originally supposed to be Barber vs Maia Stevenson. However, Stevenson pulled out due to injury and Hannah Cifers (8-3) stepped in on less than 3 weeks’ notice. This will be Hannah’s promotional debut. She last fought in late-September, coming away with a TKO win. Cifers comes in on a 5 fight win streak.
Cifers might have the age and experience advantage over her opponent, but the young Maycee Barber (5-0) has a 4 inch height and 2 inch reach advantage. Furthermore, Barber looks to have the advantage in athleticism as well.
Barber is a rising prospect for the UFC and earned this Fight Night opportunity by winning her DWTNCS bout in July. It must be noted that Cifers should be a tougher opponent for Barber than Stevenson would’ve been. With that said, I still expect Maycee to come away with the victory.
Barber appears to have the advantage in the clinch and striking skills. However, Cifers might have more power. These betting odds seem to be a bit high in my opinion. Barber is clearly a rising talent, but she’s only 20 years old and taking on an opponent with more experience and grit. Cifers is a candidate for a small flier due to the high odds, but I’m giving this fight to Barber who will probably secure the victory by a late round TKO or submission.
With the flyweight division currently up for grabs after the departure of Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez and Ray Borg have a fantastic opportunity to move up the divisional ladder and close-in on a potential title fight.
If anyone deserves a title fight, it’s Benavidez (25-5) based on his longevity and overall success for his career. However, Joseph is going to have to earn a title shot as nothing will be given to him. This Saturday’s matchup will be a great first step toward a championship fight in the near future if he can get the win. Remember, Benavidez defeated the current flyweight champ Cejudo roughly 2 years ago. So, this rematch between the two makes a lot of sense on paper and to the fans.
Borg (11-3) is 2-2 in his last 4 fights including a submission loss to Demetrious Johnson 13 months ago. Borg has not fought since that championship encounter. Ray is 9 years younger than Benavidez, but gives up a 2 inch reach advantage. With that said, it’s pretty clear as to what Borg has to do to win this fight.
Borg is going to have to try and match the striking volume from Benavidez as they stand up and look for an opening to get Joseph to the ground. From there, Ray will need to control Benavidez who also has top notch wrestling skills. That’s going to be easier said than done.
Ultimately, I expect Benevidez to control the fight by keeping it upright through his striking skills and takedown defense. If Borg doesn’t catch a “lights out’ shot the Benavidez should be able to punch and kick his way to a Unanimous Decision and a potential flyweight title fight.
Despite both women being ranked in the Top 5 for the bantamweight division, this fight still feels like a mile away from a championship shot. That’s in large part due to the recent paths each fighter has taken to get to UFC Fight Night 139.
Pennington (9-6) has won 4 of her last 5 fights and is 6-3 inside the octagon, but was thoroughly beaten by Amanda Nunes 6 months ago. The fight probably should’ve been stopped earlier on, but the beatings continued all the way into the 5th Round. Now, Raquel walks into another fight where it could get ugly quickly.
Germaine de Randamie (7-3) is a top notch fighter. However, she seems to take off a lot of time in-between fights. Because of this, many people forgot that she was the first 145 pound woman’s champ for the UFC. Her refusal to fight Cyborg forced the company to strip her of the title.
Now, Germaine de Randamie is back and looking to secure a future title shot with a win over another Top 5 contender. De Randamie has won three straight fights including her last one, which was 21 months ago against Holly Holm. She packs quite a punch and has quite the kickboxing record rumored to be 37-0. She’s nasty on her feet and can also use them as weapons of mass destruction.
I expect Germaine de Randamie to pummel Pennington in this fight as Raquel won’t be able to withstand the onslaught. Pennington might get desperate at some point and could leave herself open for a KO/TKO, which I think is the most likely outcome. Take The Iron Lady to win her return fight in spectacular fashion.
There are very few fighters more beloved than Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, who has lost 3 of his last 4 fights. Cerrone (33-11) endeared himself to the UFC fans through his volume of fights per year and his volume of fists per fight. He’s never been afraid to fight anyone, taking on any fight thrown his way, and always putting on a show. This weekend’s fight will not only be a show, but it also has some added drama built-in.
Perry (12-3) ended up replacing Cerrone at his former fight gym and caused a dramatic, public rift between Donald and his former confidants. Not only will Cerrone have to deal with those emotions, but he will also have to deal with Perry who can hang with Donald in the striking game. In fact, Perry excels in “dirty boxing” and arguably has more power than Cerrone.
For Perry to win, he will have to keep the fight upright and smother Cerrone with constant pressure and power punches. Perry also has the more impressive chin as he has never been KO’d.
For Cerrone to win, he will need to withstand the pressure and smothering from Perry. Additionally, “The Cowboy” will need to not fall in love with his striking and take this fight to the ground where he is the better fighter. However, taking Perry down will be easier said than done.
There are some who feel this fight is made for Perry as he’s going up against another big time striker and has the chin to take Cerrone’s best shots, while getting in close enough to unleash his fury. I happen to think this might actually be a fight that benefits Cerrone just as much. Donald has the skills to take this fight to the ground and win it from there. He just has to have the determination to make it happen.
Call it sentimental or wishful thinking, but I’m going with Cerrone to pull off the upset and send the fans home happy.
If the main event can deliver on the promised goods then this entire fight night would have been a huge success. On paper, these two fighters have the potential for an all-out war that will come down to who can withstand the pain the longest. With that said, there are a few concerns that could possibly limit this fight and make it a bust.
For starters, Rodriguez (10-2) is stepping in for Frankie Edgar on roughly 3 weeks’ notice. Yes, the same Edgar who demolished Rodriguez the last time we saw him inside the octagon which was 18 months ago. However, we haven’t seen Jung (14-4) in 21 months. And, that was his first fight in nearly 4 years due to injuries and military service in South Korea. So, the long layoffs could potentially derail or limit the explosiveness of this encounter.
If both fighters are able to get into a groove then this fight should be exciting. Both fighters like to apply the pressure as they move forward to their opponent. However, Rodriguez might be at a slight disadvantage of Jung is able to push the pace. Rodriguez relies on his impressive kicks, but they will be limited if Jung gets in close or pushes Rodriguez backwards.
Many pundits feel that Yair has a stronger chin than Jung, which could keep Rodriguez in the fight longer, but don’t underestimate Jung’s ability to take a beating. Furthermore, if Jung does close the gap and feels that things aren’t going will then he can take Rodriguez to the mat where he is a far better grappler than Yair.
The more I think about it, the more I like Chan Sung Jung in this matchup despite his lack of fights over the last 5 years. I’m taking “The Korean Zombie” to either KO or TKO Rodriguez in the middle portions of this fight.
This Fight Night card is heavily predicated on the two final fights of the night. If those two fights live up to their explosive potential then this night will be a huge hit with fans. However, if those two fights are disappointing then there really isn’t any other fight on the card other than Benavidez vs Borg worth caring about. I’m hoping that the Cowboy and the Korean Zombie can deliver on their past thrilling displays by picking up the victories after action-packed wars.