December is shaping up to be an excellent month for MMA fans, with UFC 256 slated for Saturday, December 12, at the UFC Apex Facility in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. Tune in to ESPN’s pay-per-view service and the UFC network to catch the fights.
All odds are from sportsbetting.ag
A Little Background on the Main Event
UFC 256’s flyweight headliner between current champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is actually a record-breaking event. It will be the shortest turnaround time between two title defense fights in UFC history. This is because, at UFC 255 on November 21, Figueiredo executed a guillotine choke to defeat his opponent, Alex Perez, via submission and retain his title. UFC 256 will be the second time in 21 days that Figueiredo has to defend his belt.
The promotion initially had plans for a welterweight championship bout between current champion Kamaru Usman (Stylebender), and Gilbert burns to serve as this event’s headliner. Both sides pulled out, however, with Burns and his coach having contacted COVID-19 and Usman requesting more time to recover from undisclosed injuries.
Betting Pick and Predictions for the UFC 256 Main Event Fight Card
The excitement levels are heating up ahead of Saturday’s event. Here’s a breakdown of the bouts on the main event fight card with odds and betting picks to give you a proper primer.
Ciryl Gane (-425) vs. Junior dos Santos (+325) heavyweight division
A former UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos’ recent run of form has been abysmal. He’s lost his last three straight bouts by knockout. While his opponents in those three bouts were elite heavyweights, the losses – and how they occurred – do not bode well for dos Santos’s otherwise outstanding career.
Gane, on the other hand, is 6-0 in his fledgling UFC journey. With three submissions and two knockouts, the judges have only had to use scorecards once in Cyril Gane’s career. With dos Santos and Cyril Gane on opposite ends of a form spectrum, I’d take Gane to win this bout by knockout or submission.
Kevin Holland vs. Jacare Souza (middleweight division)
This match is another victim of the sweeping pandemic as Souza was initially set to face Marvin Vettori. The opponents were switched when Vettori was bumped up to the December 5 card while Holland was given the UFC 256 slot to recover.
With -110 odds for both fighters, this is perhaps the closest fight to call. Souza has a career record of career 26-8 and faces an equally pedigreed Holland, at 20-5. Both these fighters are pretty much evenly-matched – with similar records and a similar fighting style.
However, because Souza will have gotten more rest than his opponent on fight day, I’ll go with him to win this bout by the judges’ decision.
Rafael Fiziev (-143) vs. Renato Moicano (+123) lightweight division
Fiziev looks like a lock to win this bout. Aside from what the odds say, Fiziev takes a better career record (at 8-1 compared to 6-3) into the fight on Saturday. From a loss in his first octagon fight, he has rebounded with wins against Alex White and Marc Diakiese. Take Fiziev to win this one by TKO or decision.
Deiveson Figueiredo(c) (-300) vs. Brandon Moreno (+250) flyweight championship
Defending the flyweight belt he took from Joseph Benavidez for the second time in less than a month, Figueiredo (20-1) has a point to prove in this fight and will be highly motivated. The man many pundits are saying had the best year in the UFC, Figueiredo will want to end 2020 on a high note.
Moreno (18-5-1), for his part, is riding a five-match unbeaten run, with most of his wins this year coming in the first round. Of his 18 victories, ten have come through submission. While this is Moreno’s strength, Figueiredo does it better.
Barring any unforeseen outcomes, Figueiredo should win this one comfortably. He’s the more experienced and more skilled fighter of the two.
See sportsbetting.ag for updated lines and odds.
