UFC 250 prelims betting takes off Saturday beginning at 5:00 PM from the APEX in Las Vegas. The undercard bouts will be shown on ESPN and features 7 fights. Let’s get to the value picks.
Herbert Burns (-230) vs. Evan Dunham (+180)
Catchweight
Herbert Burns just got done watching his brother Gilbert dominate Tyron Woodley in last Saturday’s main event. Oddsmakers are expecting Herbert to have that same success in UFC 250 prelims betting making him a -230 favorite. Burns is 10-2 in his MMA career and 1-0 in the UFC, KO’ing Nate Landwehr back in January.
38-year-old Evan Dunham comes out of retirement for this bout, last fighting in September of 2018. Dunham has lost three straight, getting knocked out by knees in each of his last two.
Pick: Burns by KO +270
Alonzo Menifield (-230) vs. Devin Clark (+180)
Light Heavyweight
Albuquerque native Devin Clark has his work cut out for him in UFC 250 prelims betting facing heavy-handed Alonzo Menifield. Clark (11-4) has the advantage of having fought more recently, a decision win over Dequan Townsend, but Menifield has never lost at 9-0 in his career.
Menifield has ended his two UFC fights early, both via first round punch. Menifield has zero takedowns so far in the UFC and wants to end this one on his feet. Clark has been fighting in the UFC since 2016, so his experience should help him survive…for a bit.
Pick: Fight completes 2 full rounds +135
Alex Perez (-140) vs. Jussier Formiga (+110)
Flyweight
Two friends with years of fighting experience square off when Alex Perez (23-5) meets up with Jussier Formiga (23-7). The fact that the two know each other and have trained together would likely indicate that this bout is set to go the distance. 4 of Perez’s 6 UFC fights have ended early though. There are signs that the 35-year-old Formiga is winding down too, having dropped two straight fights – one by KO, one by SUB.
Pick: Fight does not go the distance +135
Charles Byrd (-180) vs. Maxi Pitolo (+150)
Middleweight
Saturday’s fight could be the swan song for Charles Byrd (10-6). The 36-year-old Byrd is 1-2 in the UFC with each of his last two defeats ending early via TKO. Byrd last just 0:38 in his last fight vs. Edmen Shahbazyan back in March 2019. Byrd suffered neck injuries in a car accident weeks after that bout. The 29-year-old Maki Pitolo (12-5) has lost his only UFC fight by decision.
Pick: Maki Pitolo +150
Cody Stamann (-260) vs. Brian Kelleher (+200)
Featherweight
Brian Kelleher (21-10) fights for the second time in under a month after disposing of Hunter Azure with a 2nd round TKO back at Fight Night on May 13th. Kelleher is a significant underdog on Saturday despite winning two straight fights early. Cody Stamann (18-2-1) seems to be in a rut after losing 2 of his last 3 following three straight wins (decision) to start his UFC career. Too much value on Kelleher here in a fight that seems to be headed to the judges (go the distance -230)
Pick: Brian Kelleher +200
Ian Heinisch (-135) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+105)
Middleweight
Gerald Meerschaert’s experience having 42 MMA fights to his credit (30-12) helps him immensely with all the uncertainty surrounding his bout with Ian Heinisch (13-3). Heinisch was originally off the card after a coach tested positive for Covid but then put back on the card 48 hours before the event when his cornerman test came back negative.. Heinisch is a slight favorite despite losing two straight via decision. Meerschaert meanwhile has two submission wins over his last three.
Pick: Meerschaert +105
Alex Caceres (+160) vs. Chase Hooper (-200)
Featherweight
Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Cacares has flip-flopped wins and losses over his last 6 fights. That doesn’t bode well for Saturday considering he’s coming off a decision win over Steven Peterson in his last fight nearly a year ago. Chase Hooper (9-0-1) broke into the UFC in a big way with a 1st round TKO of Daniel Teymur back in December. Got to like Hooper here in some form.
Pick: Hooper by Submission +120
