The Ultimate Fighting Championship roadshow returns to the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, this weekend. The biggest and best-loved professional mixed martial arts promotion presents another stacked programme, including a competitive fight card and main event.
The showpiece of this year’s UFC International Fight Week and Hall of Fame induction ceremony gives the warriors included on the card an opportunity to showcase their talents to a global audience. The main event pairs Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira in the lightweight division. With the vacant UFC title on the line, a fierce battle is guaranteed between two former champions desperate to return to the top of the game. Who wins?
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Need help finding a bet at a price worth landing? Gamblr brings in former professional fighter and respected sports betting writer, Frankie Monkhouse. He brings you up to speed on the form of both men involved in the main event, highlights the most interesting betting odds, and offers his predictions.
Fight-winner betting odds
Here are the odds currently available on Topuria v Oliveira.
Ilia Topuria win @ 1.2
Charles Oliveira win @ 4.5
The prices quoted above are correct at the time of writing and available on the Gamblr website and mobile site. Please remember that combat sports betting odds are subject to change, meaning the prices available when publishing our article may differ from what’s offered when you place your bets. Check Gamblr for the latest odds and offers.
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El Matador ready for action
Ilia Topuria enters fight night as a former featherweight UFC champion who’s desperate to relive the glory days. The first Georgian fighter in the UFC, he brings a professional MMA record detailing 16 wins against zero defeats. On closer inspection, we see his card has eight wins by submission and six by knockout, with the remaining bouts won by decision. That form shows he’s a man who likes to get the job done inside the distance, ensuring his fate doesn’t rest in the hands of the scoring judges.
Ilia has won each of his last two fights by knockout, and that will interest bettors who like to place their trust in the stats and trends. He KO’d Alexander Volkanovski in California on UFC 298. It was a defining night in his career, winning the fight, the UFC featherweight championship and a performance of the night bonus. The bout was just two rounds old when Ilia ended his opponent’s challenge with a barrage of heavy punches.
Topuria moved his record to a perfect 16 wins when knocking out Max Holloway in the first defence of his title. That win came in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308 late last year, this time settling the score in the third round. A successful defence, and another performance of the night award. Ilia vacated his title in April of this year, but now feels in a position to win it back and continue his run of victories. Will he add another knockout win to his record, landing a third KO on the bounce? You can have your say now.
Click here to bet on Ilia Topuria
Don’t write off do Bronxs
Charles Oliveira travels from his base in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a former UFC lightweight champion who believes the time is right to get back on top. The 35-year-old is currently number two in the lightweight rankings and sits at number 13 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound charts. Both will improve if he wins this weekend and gets the job done in style before a capacity crowd at the venue and a huge global audience following the action live on television. One win would change his career overnight.
Oliveira’s record stands at 35 wins against ten losses, with 21 victories coming by way of submission, ten by knockout, and four by decision. His defeats show four by KO, four by submission and the other two on points. There has also been one no contest, coming early in his career, when he won by submission before the result was declared void due to an illegal knee. He also enjoyed a long unbeaten run, lasting from 2018 to 2022, before running into Islam Makhachev on UFC 280.
Since that loss to Islam, Charles has fought three times, winning two and losing the spare to Arman Tsarukyan on UFC 300. He was last seen in action beating Michael Chandler on a points decision in New York City. A fight of the night performance over five rounds, Oliveira earned a title shot that night and won’t want to let the hard-earned opportunity slip through his fingers. Is he good enough to become champion again?
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Topuria vs Oliveira prediction
The simplest way to gamble on Saturday’s main event at UFC 317 is to pick the winner. With this approach, it’s a simple win-or-lose scenario. It doesn’t matter how your pick gets the desired result; as long as they leave the octagon as a winner, you’ll land the profits.
There’s very little between these fighters on paper, but I’m backing the fresher man in Ilia Topuria. He’s a lot less experienced than the man starting in the opposite corner, but that also means he’s taken much less punishment over the years. He’s also a man on a winning streak and will be determined not to suffer a first defeat in the main event.
Those looking for a better price may want to play the method of victory market. Predict who will win and how they’ll get the result. I’m happy to follow the form and take Ilia Topuria to win by knockout at a generous quote.
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Ilia Topuria by KO/TKO @ 1.55
Ilia Topuria by KO/TKO in round 2 @ 4