UFC fight night 171 betting offers plenty of action with a 4 bout prelim card and 7-fights on the main event card headlined by Anthony Smith a -200 favorite over Glover Teixeira. Jacksonville, FL will once again be the host and as UFC 249 showed on Saturday night, we don’t need fans to have exciting MMA action.
Thiago Moises (-115) vs. Michael Johnson (-115)
Michael Johnson could be fighting for his UFC career on Wednesday. ‘The Menace’ has lost 5 of his last 7 fights including two submissions and 2 KOs. That’s not good going up against Thiago Moises, who is 12-4 in his career. Moises is just 1-2 in the UFC, but the he still gets the edge here.
Pick: Moises -115
Philipe Lins (-200) vs. Andrei Arlovski (+160)
Lots of money on Philipe Lins in this fight as he is up against a 41-year-old Andrei Arlovski. Lins will be making his UFC debut in this UFC fight night 171 betting matchup but has gone 14-3 in his MMA career thus far. There are many who thought Arlovski should hang up the gloves after losing 9 of 11 fights, but he did beat Ben Rothwell by decision in July. Lins hasn’t fought in 15 months though so look for a lot of feeling out in this one.
Pick: Fight to complete 2 full rounds -125
Ricky Simon (-165) vs. Ray Borg (+135)
Ricky Simon vs. Ray Borg is an interesting matchup and one that looks to play out a lot closer than the -165 line for the favorite indicates. Both fighters have over a dozen wins with less than 4 losses. 2 of Simon’s 3 career defeats have come in his last two fights though. Borg is on a 2-fight win streak – both by decision – and had worked his way up to a title fight back in 2017 before losing in the 5th via submission to Demetrious Johnson. The -165 is too much to lay on a fighter with some real confidence issues right now.
Pick: Ray Borg +135
Drew Dober (-130) vs. Alexander Hernandez (EVEN)
Drew Dober comes into UFC fight night 171 betting hot, with back-to-back 1st round KOs. Both knockouts came via punches just over a minute into the 1st. Overall Dober has 5 of his last 6 so the -130 is a great price vs. Alexander Hernandez. Then again Hernandez has won 3 of his 4 UFC fights, but failed in his greatest test – a KO at the hands of Donald Cerrone in January of 2019. Dober is on a roll right now.
Pick: Drew Dober -130
Ovince Saint Preux (-140) vs. Ben Rothwell (+110)
Ben Rothwell had lost three straight fights before scoring a KO over Stefan Struve back in December. That win may have given Rothwell some confidence, but two controversial low blows may have had a hand in the injured Struve receiving the knockout punch. Saint Preux is 6’3, 230 pounds but 4 of his last 5 UFC wins have come via submission. The 265 pound Rothwell does have a weight advantage in this one, but his skill set on the ground does not line up.
Pick: Ovince Saint Preux -140
Anthony Smith (-200) vs. Glover Teixeira (+160)
It’s a conflict of styles as Anthony Smith tries to end Glover Teixera’s night with a KO while the latter hopes to make Lionheart ‘slap the mat’ via submission. Teixera is on an upswing after three straight wins (2-subs, 1 dec) but he’s also 40-years-old. Smith took Jon Bones Jones to a decision in a title fight loss at UFC 235. Smith tapped out Alexander Gustafsson in his next fight, but that was back in June. Whether by punch or by tap – this one looks like it could end early, especially with the irregular fight camps these two have had.
Pick: Fight does not complete 3 full rounds -205
