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UFC 243 Odds, Preview & Picks

UFC 243 Odds, Preview & Picks

Written by on October 3, 2019

UFC News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag
UFC comes to us on Sunday from down under, as Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, will host UFC 243: Whittaker vs Adesanya. This will be the fourth time UFC has put on an event in Melbourne. The main event is a UFC Middleweight Championship unification bout between the current champion, Robert Whittaker (who also won the welterweight division on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes), and Israel Adesanya, the interim champion. The co-main event will be a lightweight bout between Al Iaquinta and Dan Hooker. We have the full fight card for you as well as UFC betting insights on the key matchups.

UFC 243 Odds, Preview & Picks

Event Info

When: Sunday, October 6th Where: Marvel Stadium, Australia TV: PPV Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

Main Card (Pay Per View)

  • Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesayna (UFC Middleweight Championship)
  • Al Iaquinta vs Dan Hooker (Lightweight)
  • Tai Tuivasa vs Sergey Spivac (Heavyweight)
  • Luke Jumeau vs Dhiego Lima (Welterweight)
  • Justin Tafa vs Yorgan De Castro (Heavyweight)

Preliminary Card (ESPN2)

  • Jake Matthews vs Rostem Akman (Welterweight)
  • Callan Potter vs Maki Pitolo (Welterweight)
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs Brad Riddell (Lightweight)
  • Megan Anderson vs Zarah Fairn dos Santos (Women’s Featherweight)

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

  • Nadia Kassem vs Ji Yeon Kim (Women’s Flyweight)
  • Khalid Taha vs Bruno Silva (Bantamweight)

Robert Whittaker (20-4) vs Israel Adesanya (17-0)

This is the best fight that UFC has ever put on in Australia or New Zealand. Whittaker, as a native son, is a natural headliner for this bout. Whittaker did not start well in UFC, losing to Court McGee and Stephen Thompson as a welterweight, but then he moved to middleweight and has not lost any bouts since then. He is faster than most of the fighters in his division, which helps him on the attack and on defense. His 2017 victory over Ronaldo Souza made him an elite UFC middleweight fighter, as he showed wrestling skill that no one had seen before. He has only fought approximately once a year since that 2017 win, but each of those fights has been terrific to watch. He faces an up-and-coming middleweight in Adesanya, who made his debut at UFC 221 after transitioning in from a pro kickboxing career. Before he came to UFC, he had a reputation for using his speed to escape trouble, and so there was some worry about how he would handle the stronger wrestlers in UFC. His early bouts gave him some scares, but he learned how to avoid getting caught on the ground, and he delivered a surprisingly easy knockout of Derek Brunson. He won the interim belt in April. Adesanya comes in with kickboxing prowess, but Whittaker might still be the better striker. Whittaker is not normally a fighter who wins on the ground, but Adesanya’s possible vulnerability there could lead to a wrestling-style win. If we get Whittaker at top form, he should win. Final Prediction: Whittaker wins via decision Dan Hooker (18-8) vs Al Iaquinta (14-5-1) features a fighter who got his big chances thanks to being in the right place in the right time in Iaquinta, who was a replacement choice to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 223, well before he had earned a contending role. He lost on the cards, but Iaquinta made his mark too, and he has headlined twice since then, beating Kevin Lee but losing to Donald Cerrone thanks to slow wrestling moves and an inability to establish defense against Cerrone’s striking. Hooker came in as a New Zealand local that UFC wanted to add as they expanded their brand. Initially, he was a grappler in a division that was heavy on strikers, so he had to find ways to add to his defense. When he moved up to 155 pounds, he found that his speed was more suited to the new competition, and his striking game has advanced. He still has a tendency to walk forward into pressure and take a beating, but if he has refined his approach, he should be able to hold his own against Iaquinta. Final Prediction: Hooker wins via decision
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