The best MMA card of the year takes place at UFC 245 on Dec. 14th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Three UFC titles are on the line and all five fights on the main card are must-sees for one reason or another. Below, we got the odds for all five bouts from this list of top sportsbooks, with free picks for each main event fight at UFC 245.
THE FACTS
When is UFC 245? Saturday, Dec. 14th, 2019 – 03:00 (UK)
Where is UFC 245? T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
What channel is UFC 245? BT Sport 1 HD
Where can I stream UFC 245? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT website
THE FIGHTS
Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
Two fighters prone to go to decision square off for the welterweight title in the main event of the night. Usman (15-1) is a -195 favorite and has seen his odds get shorter over the last ten days.
Both are great wrestlers and decent, though not powerful, strikers. Few people have ever been able to control Covington (15-1), but Usman has been able to take down basically every opponent he has ever faced and has yet to be taken down himself in his UFC career.
If they hold, Covington’s +165 odds will be, by a wide margin, the longest odds he’s ever had entering a fight. But it’s hard to see what he does better than the champ, who’s eager to turn himself into a welterweight legend.
Pick: Usman by unanimous decision
Featherweight Champion Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Holloway (21-4) enters as a -175 favorite and certainly looked back to his old, dominant self against Frankie Edgar, winning a never-in-doubt five-round decision. But he lost his previous fight to Dustin Poirier and is susceptible to takedowns.
Volkanovski (20-1) is going to give the champ everything he can handle. Riding an unbelievable 18-fight win streak, the 5’6 Australian somehow has a two-inch reach advantage on the 5’11 Holloway and will use his Greco-Roman background to control where the fight takes place. If he’s not winning the standup battle, he’ll try to move it to the mat.
All in all, the challenger has more routes to victory.
Pick: Volkanovski by decision
Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
Nunes (18-4) is the second-biggest favourite on the main card at -300, and it’s easy to see why. She has won nine in a row and already crushed De Randamie (9-3) back in 2013 via first-round TKO. In her last six fights, she owns a 307-160 striking advantage over her opponents.
De Randamie may last longer than a single round this time, but lasting all five is a long shot, and winning even more so. Don’t hesitate to put this one on your parlay cards.
Pick: Nunes by stoppage
Jose Aldo vs Marlon Moraes
Jose Aldo (28-5) is a curious case. He’s no longer the dominant fighter who won 18 straight fights form 2006-2014. But he’s also better than the fighter who lost three of four from 2015 to 2018. In his last fight, he was outclassed by Volkanovski, getting out-struck 95-29 in a UD loss.
Moraes (22-6-1) won’t throw with the same volume as Volkanovski, but he will hit with more power. If Aldo’s striking defense doesn’t get better from his last fight, this could end early.
Moraes will certainly be eager to put his most-recent fight - a third-round TKO loss to Henry Cejudo - behind him. Despite losing as roughly a -130 favourite against Cejudo, Moraes is -185 to beat Aldo (+160) and his power should prove the difference-maker.
Pick: Moraes by stoppage
Urijah Faber vs Petr Yan
The first fight on the main card is a resurgent Urijah Faber (35-10) taking on a fast-rising Petr Yan (13-1). The MMA legend is on the wrong side of 40 and retired in 2016 after losing four of his final eight fights. His comeback started with a win quick KO victory against Ricky Simon, but Yan is a step up in competition.
The lopsided nature of this fight is reflected in the odds, with Faber a huge +385 underdog and Yan a -500 favorite. The dynamic, well-rounded Yan will get a stoppage win in the later rounds. That said, -500 is too short a price when the opponent has dangerous one-punch power like Faber does.
Pick: Yan by stoppage
Tune into BT Sport 1 circa 3:00AM GMT to watch the main card live and enjoy a fantastic night of MMA action.
