UFC 263 – Adesanya vs Vettori On June 12 – Betting Odds and Predictions
The UFC has decided to host its monthly pay-per-view (PPV) cards at packed stadiums while its UFC Fight Night cards at empty stadiums. UFC 263 will take place on June 12 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona and close to 19,000 fans are expected to be in the arena.
The UFC has stacked this card with two title fights and several other exciting fights, including the return of the Stockton gangster Nate Diaz who will fight Brit Leon Edwards in a 5 round bout.
Our MMA experts take a look at the betting odds for three fights and share their predictions.
UFC Middleweight Championship: Adesanya vs Vettori 2
Israel’ The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya is back at middleweight to defend his belt against the Italian Marvin Vettori. Adesanya’s last fight was at light-heavyweight when he moved up to challenge champ Jan Blachowicz and lost. It was the first loss for Adesanya in the UFC, and he is keen to get back to winning in the middleweight division once again.
Adesanya and Vettori fought in 2018 when Adesanya was just starting to make waves in the UFC. This was a three-round fight, and it went to the judges for a decision. While the judges gave the decision to Adesanya, many believe that Vettori had a good case to win the fight.
Adesanya did better on the significant strikes landing 57 out of 123, while Vettori landed 46 of 154 but secured 2 takedowns from 6 attempts while Adesanya had none. Adesanya goes in as the betting favourite with odds of 1.40, while Vettori is the underdog with odds of 3.0.
This fight will be different as it will be a 5 round fight and the UFC middleweight championship is on the line. While Adesanya has improved his striking in the last 3 years, so has Vettori. Blachowicz exposed Adesanya’s ground game in their fight, and Vettori will once again be looking to take Adesanya down and dominate him.
This fight should be a lot closer than what the bookmakers are making it out to be. Our experts believe that Adesanya does have an edge as he would have been working on his takedown defence, but we will put our money on Vettori to become the first Italian champ in the UFC.
UFC Flyweight Championship: Figueiredo vs Moreno 2
UFC Flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and number one contender Brandon Moreno put on a show for the fans in an epic 5 round battle in December 2020. The fight was a barn burner as both men showed enormous grit, determination and the ability to absorb punishment and keep going.
The fight went to the judges, and it ended up in a majority draw. However, the fight was so good that the UFC decided to give the fighters a few months’ rests and then run it back for the second time.
The champ Figueiredo once again goes in as the betting favourite with odds of 1.40, while Moreno is the underdog with odds of 3.00. Expect fireworks once again as both fighters like to stand and bang. However, if Moreno is going to win, he will have to look to take Figueiredo down more often and look to get 3 rounds in the bag.
Our experts think it will be even more difficult for Moreno in the second fight and have Figueiredo retain his belt.
Diaz vs Edwards
The UFC decided to make this fight between Diaz and Edwards a 5 round fight which is strange as it is usually the championship fights and the Main Event that goes 5 rounds. However, Nate Diaz will not be complaining about a 5 round fight as he is used to going 5 rounds and has great cardio.
The Stockton gangster is a betting underdog for this fight with odds of 4.80, while Leon Edwards is the favourite with odds of 1.20. Edwards last fight ended in a no-contest after he poked his opponent’s eye and caused damage. Diaz’s last fight was in 2019 when he lost to Jorge Masvidal after the doctor called the fight off.
Edwards has the better striking skills, but will he hold up for all 5 rounds against Diaz’s pace? We also have no idea if Edwards has a good enough ground game to keep Nate Diaz off him should he decide to take him to the ground. Our experts think that Leon Edwards will win this one.
Other Exciting Fights
This fight card is packed with several great fights. We will be keeping a close watch on some of the fights, including Paul Craig vs Jahamhal Hill at light heavyweight and Movsar Evloev vs Hakeem Dawodu at featherweight.
