UFC Odds – UFC 249 Odds and Picks

Adamant that his sport would be the first to return following the coronavirus pandemic, Dana White nailed it. A lightweight interim title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje serves as the main event at UFC 249, taking place Saturday, May 9 from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. A bantamweight title fight featuring Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz serves as a co-main event in the five-fight main card, all of which are available on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET.  Betting is available at Bookmaker.eu here.

A total of 12 fights are on the docket with a preliminary welterweight bout between fan favorites Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Anthony Pettis highlighting the four-fight undercard. The prelims are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN. Undefeated Bryce Mitchell battles Charles Rosa in a featherweight contest during the early prelims, which get underway at 6:30 p.m. ET also on ESPN.

Top online sportsbooks are offering odds for every UFC 249 fight on Saturday’s card when you are ready to bet.

UFC 249 Odds at BookMaker.eu

Main Card
Tony Ferguson -170
Justin Gaethje +135
Over 2.5 Rounds +105, Under 2.5 Rounds -135

Henry Cejudo -235
Dominick Cruz +183
Over 4.5 Rounds -220, Under 4.5 Rounds +172

Francis Ngannou -280
Jairzinho Rozenstruik +214
Over 1.5 Rounds -115, Under 1.5 Rounds -115

Jeremy Stephens +197
Calvin Kattar -225
Over 2.5 Rounds -180, Under 2.5 Rounds +140

Greg Hardy -215
Yorgan De Castro +168
Over 1.5 Rounds -160, Under 1.5 Rounds +127

Prelims
Anthony Pettis -150
Donald Cerrone +120
Over 2.5 Rounds +115, Under 2.5 Rounds -145

Aleksei Oleinik +258
Fabricio Werdum -345
Over 1.5 Rounds -130, Under 1.5 Rounds +100

Carla Esparza -159
Michelle Waterson +126
Over 2.5 Rounds -500, Under 2.5 Rounds +351

Uriah Hall +100
Ronaldo Souza -130
Over 2.5 Rounds -115, Under 2.5 Rounds -115

Early Prelims
Vicente Luque -300
Niko Price +228
Over 1.5 Rounds -120, Under 1.5 Rounds -110

Bryce Mitchell -160
Charles Rosa +127
Over 2.5 Rounds -130, Under 2.5 Rounds +179

Ryan Spann -415
Sam Alvey +301
Over 1.5 Rounds -145, Under 1.5 Rounds +115

Tony Ferguson ( 26-3-0, 13 KOs, 8 SUBs ) vs. Justin Gaethje ( 21-2-0, 18 KOs, 1 SUB )

We’ll finally get some action in the octagon after waiting a number of weeks. UFC was the last to shutdown due to the coronavirus and it’s the first to start up. Unfortunately, this isn’t the match we all wanted to see. Don’t get me wrong, these are two stud fighters and this will be a helluva fight. But Ferguson’s duel with Khabib Nurmagomedov was shuttered – again – over the virus. Gaethje steps in as a worthy opponent making this the cherry on top of the UFC sundae.

If you think Ferguson might have a letdown in this battle, think again. He’s as poised and confident as ever and his 12-match winning streak is a sign that he’s ready to go. He’s also been training for what was expected to be a title fight with Nurmagomedov. Both fighters are brawlers so don’t expect this one to go the distance. Gaethje has three first-round finishes, but don’t expect him to get to Ferguson. No one can take a punch better than “El Cucuy”

Prediction: Tony Ferguson / TKO / 3rd Round

Henry Cejudo ( 15-2, 7 KOs ) vs. Dominick Cruz ( 22-2, 7 KOs, 1 SUB )

No matter how you feel about Cejudo, you can’t argue with the results. The bantamweight champ will defend his title against Domincik “The Dominator” Cruz in Saturday’s co-main event. What makes this fight unusual is that Cruz hasn’t competed since losing the title to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016. Apparently the oddsmakers were miffed at this matchup with odds indicating this is Cejudo’s bout to lose.

You could say Cruz is well rested and riding a nice stretch with only one loss since 2008. While that’s true, it’s also because injuries have slowed him down. Cruz was once the class of his division. The former bantamweight champ had a 13-match winning streak before losing to Garbrandt. Cejudo won his last two fights over T.J. Dillashaw and Marlon Moraes by knockout and I wouldn’t be surprised to see another.

Prediction: Henry Cejudo / TKO / 2nd Round

Francis Ngannou ( 14-3-0, 10 KOs, 4 SUBs ) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik ( 10-0-0, 9 KOs )

This matchup of heavyweight knockout specialists has the potential to be the most entertaining bout on the card. Chances are it won’t last long, though. Ngannou is an imposing specimen and his fists are like hammers. His last three fights ended with a first round knockout as he looks to reenter the title picture since losing to current belt holder Stipe Miocic. Another win should get him a rematch.

Overcoming Rozenstruik isn’t going to be easy. “Bigi Boy” has climbed the ranks with nine of his 10 victories by knockout. With a kickboxing background, Rozenstruik is still an inexperienced MMA fighter and his sheer strength helped him prevail. He avoided a decision loss last fight finishing off Alistair Overeem with four seconds left. That’s not going to get it done on Saturday.

Prediction: Francis Ngannou / TKO / 1st Round

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com