UFC 238 Odds & Betting Preview

UFC 238 Odds & Betting Preview

Chicago’s United Center will host UFC 238 on Saturday, June 8, which will feature not one but two title bouts. Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes will square off for the vacant UFC Bantamweight title, which T.J. Dillashaw vacated after failing a drug test, opting to step down rather than have the title stripped from him. Valentina Shevchenko will defend her UFC Women’s Flyweight belt against Jessica Eye. There will also be a lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone on the main card. The main card will broadcast on ESPN+, with the prelims on ESPN and the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. We have the complete card as well as thoughts on the main events.

UFC 238 Odds & Betting Preview

Event Info

  • When: June 8th, 2019. 9pm.
  • Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
  • TV: PPV
  • Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

Main Card (ESPN+, 9:00pm ET)

  • Henry Cejudo vs Marlon Moraes (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs Jessica Eye (UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship)
  • Tony Ferguson vs Donald Cerrone (Lightweight)
  • Jimmie Rivera vs Petr Yan (Bantamweight)
  • Tai Tuivasa vs Blagoy Ivanov (Heavyweight)

Preliminary Card (ESPN, 7:00pm ET)

  • Tatiana Suarez vs Nina Ansaroff (Women’s Strawweight)
  • Aljamain Sterling vs Pedro Munhoz (Bantamweight)
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Alexa Grasso (Women’s Strawweight)
  • Ricardo Lamas vs Calvin Kattar (Featherweight)

Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 5:15pm ET)

  • Xiaonan Yan vs Angela Hill (Women’s Strawweight)
  • Bevon Lewis vs Darren Stewart (Middleweight)
  • Eddie Wineland vs Grigory Popov (Bantamweight)
  • Katlyn Chookagian vs Joanne Calderwood (Women’s Flyweight)

Henry Cejudo (14-2-0) vs Marlon Moraes (22-5-1)

This fight features an Olympic gold medalist in Cejudo who won his first three fights in the flyweight division before he ran into Demetrious Johnson, who aimed at Cejudo’s knees in the clinch and ended up winning easily. Cejudo roled through his next three fights and got a rematch against Johnson and take the title. Cejudo defended his title against T.J. Dillashaw, knocking him out in 32 seconds, and now Cejudo looks to take a second belt by fighting Moraes, Dillashaw’s replacement. Moraes did not get off to a great start in UFC, losing in a decision to Raphael Assuncao. He beat John Dodson in another close bout on the cards, but then he rolled through Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Assuncao in a rematch, finishing all three opponents in about five total minutes of fighting. So can Moraes break through Cejudo’s defense and deliver a big bomb? Or will Cejudo control the pace and use his wrestling to deliver the win? Moraes likes to use a blitz strategy to win — and Cejudo’s defense is still a question. There’s not a lot of difference in the moneylines, but I’m going with the narrow favorite. UFC 238 Prediction: Moraes wins via stoppage

Valentina Shevchenko (16-3) vs Jessica Eye (14-6)

It clearly does not feature a lot of value if you go with the favorite. Shevchenko is terrific at winning on the cards but not at captivating audiences, as she likes to hang back, avoiding risk, picking up points. Cutting down to flyweight has helped her somewhat, as her aggressiveness finally emerged in the fight for the vacant title against Priscilla Cachoeira. Jessica Eye has also seen some resurgence since cutting to flyweight, winning three bouts in a row. Her boxing skills are more than adequate, but Shevchenko is the better striker, and Shevchenko may well be the more intense wrestler. I don’t see Eye having enough in terms of risk willingness or skill to make the upset. But why put down money with such little value coming in? Look elsewhere on this card. UFC 238 Prediction: Shevchenko wins via decision

Tony Ferguson (24-3) vs Donald Cerrone (36-11)

This one gives us a fighter who went up to bantamweight, picked up some technical upgrades, and is back at earlier form, as “Cowboy” Cerrone took down Yancy Medeiros and Mike Perry in 2018, and with wins over Alexander Hernandez and Al Iaquinta since then, he is a lightweight contender. His fight against Ferguson shows that UFC recognizes Cerrone’s potential. Ferguson has won 14 of 15 in UFC, with stellar shows just about each time. However, he has had a star-crossed life outside the Octagon, tripping over a cable on a media tour leading up to a scheduled title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov took the title, while Ferguson took down Anthony Pettis. However, some potential mental health issues continue to dog Ferguson. He is the favorite here even though there is a huge risk that Cerrone will deliver a bomb in the early going and break through the defense. If Ferguson can fight with balance, he should be able to break through Cerrone and win. UFC 238 Prediction: Ferguson wins via stoppage