Matthew Lowrimore
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UFC Fight Night 216 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card features a middleweight fight between Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland as the Main Event.
We are sharing our UFC Fight Night 216 best bets here, but head over to our main UFC Fight Night 216 predictions for picks on every Main Card fight. Let’s get into our best bets for Saturday’s card.
UFC Fight Night 216 Main Card best bets
Sean Strickland ML over Jared Cannonier (-110)
Sean Strickland comes into this fight with an MMA record of 25-4. He is 12-4 in the UFC, most recently losing to Alex Pereira by KO/TKO back in July of this year. Strickland is averaging 5.54 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 40%. He is absorbing 4.01 strikes and has a striking defense of 65%. His grappling has been decent, averaging 1.14 takedowns per every 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy is 61% and his takedown defense is 85%.
This fight is evenly matched based on the odds being offered, but Strickland looks to be the right side. He has been more consistent in the UFC, having won 6 of his last 7 fights in the UFC. Jared Cannonier, on the other hand, has won just 2 of his last 4 UFC fights. Strickland also has superior striking and grappling abilities, so our best bet will be on Strickland to win this fight.
Damir Ismagulov ML over Armen Tsarukyan (+160)
Damir Ismagulov comes into this fight with an MMA record of 24-1. He is 5-0 in the UFC, most recently beating Guram Kutateladze by split decision back in June of this year. Ismagulov is averaging 4.05 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 42%. He is absorbing 2.56 strikes and has a striking defense of 63%. His grappling is decent, as well, averaging 1.75 takedowns per every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 28%, but a takedown defense of 90%
Armen Tsarukyan is a heavy favorite in this fight, but his recent loss likely puts some doubt on him bouncing back. Ismagulov has yet to lose in the UFC and has the better striking, as well as the better takedown defense, so backing him to pull the upset looks to be worth a play.
Amir Albazi Win by Finish over Alessandro Costa (-135)
Amir Albazi comes into this fight with an MMA record of 15-1. He is 3-0 in the UFC, most recently beating Francisco Figueiredo by submission back in August of this year. Albazi is averaging 3.79 significant strikes per minute, and has a striking accuracy of 42%. He is absorbing 3.01 strikes and has a striking defense of 55%. His grappling been elite thus far, averaging 3.09 takedowns per every 15 minutes and 1.2 submission attempts during the same time period. His takedown accuracy is 62% and his takedown defense is 66%.
Albazi is 1 of the biggest favorites on the entire card, making his money line not worth it. He has won 13 of his 15 career fights by finish, including 2 of his 3 UFC fights. For that reason backing Albazi to win by finish will be the play.
Make sure you also read our UFC Fight Night 216 four-fight parlay (+918 odds!)
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