UFC 265 Betting Odds and Predictions – Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane – Aug 07

The UFC will make its way to Houston, Texas on August 07 to entertain MMA fans with UFC 265. There were initially two title fights scheduled to take place on this card but one of them had to be cancelled after UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes tested positive for COVID-19.

The Main Event will feature an interim heavyweight title fight between top contenders Derrick Lewis and Frenchman Ciryl Gane. The co-main event will now be a bantamweight fight between former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz.

Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane

UFC President Dana White surprised everyone, including the current UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou when he announced an interim heavyweight title fight between Lewis and Gane. Ngannou was willing to defend his belt in September, but apparently, that was too long for White to wait, and hence we have an interim champ.

The winner of Lewis vs. Gane will then get a crack at Francis Ngannou to see if they can claim the heavyweight strap. Lewis has fought for the heavyweight title before against Daniel Cormier, and he lost. The Black Beast says this is the most important fight of his career so far and is determined to win and take on Ngannou.

The bookmakers have Lewis as a heavy underdog with odds of 3.75. The underdog status will phase Lewis as he is used to being the underdog. This time around, he is fighting in front of his home fans and will clearly be the crowd favorite. Gane is the betting favorite with odds of 1.28, but we personally don’t think there is a huge difference between the two fighters.

One reason why Gane is a heavy betting favorite is that he is undefeated in his MMA career. Gane has never faced an opponent like the Black Beast before but is confident that his speed and agility will allow him to dart in and out and get the better of Lewis.

Lewis has lost a bit of weight and is definitely in better shape when compared to a few years ago. He still has that tremendous right hand that can KO any opponent at any time. We are going to back Derrick Lewis to win by KO and become the new interim heavyweight champion.

Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz

These two Brazilian fighters will go toe to toe in a co-main event that promises to be a slugfest. The veteran Aldo goes in as the betting favorite with odds of 1.72, while Munhoz is the underdog with odds of 2.10. Expect this fight to be a slugfest as both fighters like to stand and trade.

Aldo’s last bout was in December 2020, when he defeated Marlon Vera by decision. Aldo knows an impressive performance against Munhoz will move him closer to getting another crack at the UFC bantamweight championship.

Munhoz fought in Feb 2021 and had a decision win against Jimmie Rivera. Munhoz has a great chin and likes to stand and bang. We think that Munhoz has a slight edge over Aldo, and we will back Munhoz to win this fight.

Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque

This is a great stylistic matchup as the Brazilian Vicente Luque likes to stand and bang, whereas Chiesa prefers to take his opponent down and submit him. Chiesa has looked good ever since he moved up to welterweight and has impressive wins in his last two fights winning against Rafael Dos Anjos and Neil Magny.

Luque comes in with a three-fight win streak to his name. His last fight was against former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in March 2021, which he won in the first round via submission. Luque goes in as the betting favorite with odds of 1.72, while Chiesa is the underdog with odds of 2.10.

Even if Chiesa does manage to get Luque to the ground, the Brazilian is no slouch on the ground. This is why we are going to back Luque to win this fight.

Other Exciting Fights

We have two exciting fights with the ladies on this card. One of them will see the return of Karolina Kowalkiewicz against Jessica Penne. The other one has some heat behind it as Angela Hill and Tecia Torres have traded barbs on social media in the past. They now get to settle their differences inside the Octagon. We are putting our money on Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Tecia Torres for this fight.

The other fight that you should watch out for is a lightweight fight between Bobby Green and the dangerous Rafael Fiziev. Bookmakers have Fiziev as a heavy betting favorite with odds of 1.30, while Green has odds of 3.50. We are going to back Fiziev to win this one.