UFC 319 Betting Tips: Back Du Plessis to retain middleweight crown
Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev put their undefeated streaks on the line for the middleweight championship in a potential fight of the year contender in the main event of a stacked UFC 319 card.
The Chicago bill also features Lerone Murphy vs Aaron Pico and Jared Cannonier vs Michael Page. Read our tips for the event below.
Tip 1 – Dricus Du Plessis to win by decision @ 13/2
This main event for the middleweight championship has all the markings of an instant classic in Chicago.
While many look at this fight as Chimaev’s to lose with his marauding 14-0-0 record, it’s similarly Du Plessis’ to win and he’s no slouch himself at 23-2-0 – a feat he achieved in slightly less time and against heavier opponents.
That said, you don’t get promoted as the ‘Undefeated Destroyer’ ahead of this fight for nothing, as Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman found out first-hand.
Chimaev will almost certainly succeed in applying his trademark pressure throughout this five-round fight, posing a much more relentless challenge to what Du Plessis will have experienced in previous defences.
Expect both will go all out in the Windy City but with Du Plessis weathering all storms to go the distance and retain by decision at 13/2 returns.
Tip 2 – Lerone Murphy to win by KO, TKO or DQ @ 13/2
The UFC 319 co-main event sees undefeated British featherweight Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) take on the debuting catch-as-catch-can specialist Aaron Pico, who will enter the octagon as the surprising favourite.
Pico (13-4-0) is the latest ex-Bellator fighter to be presented with a tough opponent, following in the footsteps of Patricio Pitbull and Michael Page.
Only questions still remain about how the American will fare in the big time, especially against a clean striker like Murphy who has the tools to end it at any time.
He’s also showcased excellent defensive wrestling in recent bouts, taken down four times in 11 attempts by Josh Emmett in his previous fight, which could again trouble his next opponent come Saturday.
Currently ranked sixth in the division, the Miracle is currently eight for eight in the UFC and a win here is sure to aid in his ascent to the top of a stacked featherweight division.
Tip 3 – Michael Page to win & over 2.5 rounds in the fight @ EVS
Few fighters are as entertaining as Michael ‘Venom’ Page, whose trademark unorthodox fighting style has earned him countless fans and victories, spanning multiple continents and promotions.
Amongst them is Bellator, although MVP (23-3-0) seems to be the only fighter not affected by a change in environment.
Page has won two out of his three in the UFC so far, his last as recently as February against Shara Magomedov in what was a clear one-sided matchup ending in a unanimous decision.
Jared Cannonier, his opponent at UFC 319, offers an entirely different proposition – an experienced fighter known for powering through the pain, even now in the latter stages of his career at 41.
Cannonier (18-8-0) will no doubt take the fight to the 15th best welterweight in the division, it’s whether his body can absorb that much punishment within three rounds to make enough of an impact himself.
Additionally, Page has landed more significant strikes on average in the first two rounds in two of his last three contests, meaning he likes to strike early.
With this being a three-round fight it could be curtains for Cannonier before it’s even started.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
