UFC 326 BETTING TIPS: HOLLOWAY VS OLIVEIRA LIGHTS UP VEGAS
The UFC returns to fabulous Las Vegas for the second premium live event of the new era, headlined by Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira 2 in a certified barnstormer for the BMF title.
Check out our UFC 326 betting tips below for a front-row seat to all the action from the most entertaining place on earth…
Tip 1 – Holloway vs Oliveira to go the distance @ 19/10
How do you follow up a career-defining trilogy with Dustin Poirier?
By putting your BMF title on the line against another storied fighter in Charles Oliveira (36-11-0, 1NC) – a rematch to a fight that never was after the Brazilian’s freak injury at UFC Fight Night 74 back in 2015
Fast forward over a decade later and these two are very much still in the game, which should make for a hell of a fight given the skills both bring to the table.
Max Holloway (27-8-0) will look to land as often as he can to wear down his opponent but Oliveira will always fancy his chances on the feet – or on the ground should he need to pull out one of his patented submissions that saw off Mateusz Gamrot last time out.
Both men are at a similar stage in their careers, tasting losses at points but following them up with highlight-worthy wins.
While an emphatic KO for the champ or another submission win for ‘Do Bronx’ are tempting calls, it’s more likely they show each other enough respect for this one to go the distance.
Tip 2 – Borralho to win by decision @ 5/4
Attention turns to the UFC 326 co-main event, starring two middleweights looking to rebuild some momentum after their unbeaten streaks were brought to an unceremonious end.
Caio Borralho’s (17-2-0, 1 NC) 16-fight win streak was brought to an end against Nassourdine Imavov by unanimous decision in September.
If only the same could be said for Reinier de Ridder (21-3-0) who entered the UFC with a lot of hype – hype that saw his arm raised four times before gassing out spectacularly against Brendan Allen.
Borralho has proven time and time again that he’s more than equipped to deal with action on the ground, and his stand-up game is just as strong to withstand RDR’s advances.
If De Ridder’s tank – or lack thereof – against Allen was anything to go by then ‘the Natural’ should have no problem exhausting his opponent here as he’s done countless times in his UFC career at this point.
Borralho is not an elite finisher by any stretch, so having him win by decision seems the likelier play.
Tip 3 – Font most significant strikes landed vs Rosas Jr @ EVS
Most bantamweight prospects eventually run into Rob Font (22-9-0) – and his record at keeping them at bay is quite impressive with wins over Kyler Phillips and Jean Matsumoto in his previous two wins prior to his defeat against David Martinez.
He’s up against probably the hungriest player in the division in Raul Rosas Jr (11-1-0), who has made his aspirations of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history very clear.
If Font has any chance of halting his progress then he’ll need to stay on his feet and capitalise on his striking – as seen in his last two wins where he landed the most significant strikes to win by decision.
Rosas Jr’s impeccable ground game is his biggest obstacle here despite Font only tapping out once in his career going into the weekend – to a guillotine from Pedro Munoz in 2017.
Font should be able to survive these initial attempts but, at almost 39, you do wonder how much of that toughness he has spare, which only highlights the need to swing and hope for the best.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
