UFC 220 Main Card Betting Predictions & Picks

On Saturday night, UFC 220 will take place in Boston. The main bouts, though, are the heavyweight title bout between Miocic and Ngannou and the light heavyweight title bout featuring Cormier and Oezdemir. Miocic and Cormier are looking to defend their titles — and this will be the first time that the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles have been on the line at the same card since 2003, at UFC 44. Both of these fights will feature pugilists who are evenly matched and will bring solid bouts.

UFC 220 Main Card Betting Predictions & Picks

The full card features eight bouts:

• Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou
• Daniel Cormier vs Volkan Oezdemir
• Gian Villante vs Francimar Barroso
• Dustin Ortiz vs Alexandre Pantoja
• Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Sabah Homasi
• Islam Makhachev vs Gleison Tibau
• Calvin Kattar vs Shane Burgos
• Kyle Bochniak vs Brandon Davis

Daniel Cormier (19-1) vs Volkan Oezdemir (15-1) Light Heavyweight Division

Cormier holds this title despite taking a huge knockout from Jon Jones when they fought six months ago, as Jones failed a pre-fight drug test and lost the title back to Cormier. That makes two times that Cormier has lost to Jones in the cage but still walked a way with a victory thanks to some sort of violation on Jones’ part. Cormier can quiet the doubters, though, with a win over Oezdemir. Oezdemir made his first mark in UFC by taking down Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 104. He followed that debut up with knockout wins over Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa, both ranked in the top 10. Oezdemir has breezed through some other pairings when contenders either had to withdraw via injury or other reasons, which is how he ended up in a title bout in only his fourth UFC bout. Oezdemir brings considerable power to his punches, but a win over Cormier would be an immense upset. Despite the fact that Cormier has taken two beatings from Jones, the vast majority of his bouts have shown him to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters within all of UFC. Unless Oezdemir lands a big kick or punch that catches Cormier out of nowhere, expect this to turn into a grappling match that ends up in Cormier’s favor. UFC 220 Betting Prediction: Cormier wins by unanimous decision

Stipe Miocic (17-2) vs Francis Ngannou (11-1) Heavyweight Division

This is only the 14th title defense in this division in the last nine years, thanks to a rash of injuries and illnesses that have happened to the champs. Brock Lesnar (diverticulitis), Cain Velasquez (back) and Junior dos Santos (knee) are just some of the many champs who have had to step out of bouts because of ailments. The contenders have often featured opponents who are outmatched in terms of size or are carrying the wrong sort of weight to fight at an elite level. However, the emergence of Miocic marks a change for the better in the heavyweight ranks. He is a solid wrestler, but he also has elite boxing skills and brings killer cardio to the cage, which means that he has the tools to hold onto that belt for some while. He faces the sort of contender that has been absent in this division for a long time in Ngannou. He has only been in UFC for two years, but his reputation for finishing opponents has grown significantly. His left hand brings a load of bricks, and he has landed that left on just about everyone he has faced. One of those shots could catch Miocic the wrong way and end the bout in a hurry. The diversity of Miocic’s game makes him the favorite, but it will all turn south if Ngannou lands a left at the right time. UFC 220 Betting Prediction: Miocic wins by unanimous decision