If youโre having withdrawals from UFC, we understand. Fight fans didnโt know what to do with themselves last week, as the UFC took its first break since early April for the Memorial Day Weekend. Weโre still more than a week away from UFC 263, which features two title fights, but we have a decent fight card this weekend to whet your appetites.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai meet in the main event of the UFC Vegas 28 card, which is also known as UFC Fight Night 189 or UFC on ESPN+ 47. However you want to refer to the card, itโs a big one with 14 fights set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday June 5 from the UFC Apex.
Las Vegas is now back to full capacity events, so this could be the last event behind closed doors for a long time, as it wouldnโt be a total stunner to see something in a smaller venue as opposed to the Apex for non-pay-per-view cards going forward.
Either way, you can be a fan from home regardless and bet using BetMGM Sportsbook for UFC action. Get up to a $600 Risk-Free Bet with that initial deposit at BetMGM.
UFC Betting Odds โ Rozenstruik vs. Sakai
This is an interesting heavyweight main event between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai. Rozenstruik wonโt face champion Francis Ngannou anytime soon, but if he wants a title shot down the line, these are the types of fights that he needs to win. Rozenstruik is the -135 favorite in this fight. Sakai gets +110 in the underdog role for his most important fight to date.
Rozenstruik is trying to stay where he is, but Sakai is hoping to upgrade and improve his standing within the division. Heโll need to after the loss to Alistair Overeem in his last fight back on September 5. Overeem lost to Rozenstruik in December 2019, but was four seconds away from going the distance and he is already on record as saying he wants a rematch.
As far as this fight goes, Rozenstruik lost in 20 seconds to Ngannou, the hardest hitter the division has ever seen. His other loss came via decision against Ciryl Gane. Gane is one of the best wrestlers and grapplers in the heavyweight division. He has a bright future. Rozenstruik showed some weaknesses with his takedown defense in that fight.
Fortunately for him, Sakai is a striker like he is. Rozenstruik also fell victim to Ganeโs leg kicks and control of the fight by keeping it at distance. That shouldnโt be an issue against Sakai, whose record in the UFC has been propped up by some close split-decision wins.
The -135 price looks good on the favorite here in a good spot to bounce back.
UFC Odds โ Tybura vs. Harris
Marcin Tybura is a -175 favorite in this heavyweight fight against Walt Harris. Harris is going to have a lot of fans out there in the social media sphere and with those that bet on his underdog price. He and his family have been through a lot over the last year and a half. Harrisโs stepdaughter was murdered in November 2019 and he had an emotional return to the Octagon during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. He lost both fights in 2020 and also lost his bid to be a city councilman.
It is hard to talk about things off the field, off the court, outside of the cage, etc. in a betting context, but weโre talking about an individual sport here. Harris just didnโt seem overly prepared for his last two fights against Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. While Tybura may not be completely on that level, he is still a very dangerous heavyweight with wins in four straight fights.
The +145 price on Harris might look kind of attractive by comparison, as Tybura is laying a big number against a solid fighter, but you also have to wonder about the cardio for Harris if this fight goes long. Prior to his most recent knockout, Tybura had gone the distance in three straight fights in 2020.
This is another one where the chalk looks like the side to take.
UFC on ESPN+ 47 Picks
As far as other fights that arenโt from the heavyweight division, letโs glance at some UFC Vegas 28 best bets.
Roman Dolidze is a good bet to bounce back against Laureano Staropoli. The -150 price seems cheap on Dolidze, who fell victim to some questionable judging in his first career loss to Trevin Giles. It was also a fight that he took on short notice. Dolidze has a lot more length than Staropoli to keep the fight where he wants and Staropoli has lost two in a row.
A good money line parlay is out there with Makwan Amirkhani and Mason Jones. Jones is coming off of his first professional loss and is a huge favorite against Alan Patrick, who has dropped two in a row and just ended a long layoff in September with a loss to Bobby Green. Jones was very active, but rather inaccurate in his loss to Mike Davis. The formerly undefeated Welshman is -300 here.
Amirkhani is going up against Kamuela Kirk, a late replacement for Nate Landwehr. Kirk just fought on May 14, so this is a quick turnaround. He also lost to Billy Quarantillo by knockout on the Dana White Contender Series broadcast on 7/23/19. Kirk hasnโt fought the pedigree of fighters and still has four losses to his name. Amirkhani is -250.
An Amirkhani/Jones parlay pays back around -115.
Those looking for an underdog might want to look at Francisco Trinaldo against Muslim Salikhov. Salikhov is 17-2 in his career, but Trinaldo is the most experienced fighter he has come up against. The 42-year-old Trinaldo has won three in a row and four of five as he heads into this bout. The old dog still has some new tricks and heโs coming off of his first finish in a while.
UFC Vegas 28 starts at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ on Saturday June 5.