UFC 298 Parlay Saturday 17: Bet For and Against Heavy Hitters
UFC 298 on Saturday presents an event filled with some of the promotion’s heaviest hitters. From the main event to the opening fight, we may just see most of the fights end with someone unconscious. We take four of these fights and parlay their best betting lines. Each of these is worth betting individually based on their UFC odds tonight.
1. Barlow Shuts Down Quinlan – Danny Barlow (-200)
Danny Barlow will separate himself as the true blue-chip prospect when he takes on Josh Quinlan. This is a favorable matchup for him as he is taller with the eight-inch reach advantage in a striking contest. Quinlan could not do anything against Trey Waters who had a five-inch reach edge. And Barlow is a better striker.
We expect Barlow, at his UFC betting line, to easily dispatch Quinlan. He can either keep him at bay using his reach and win an undisputed decision or counter him when Quinlan makes a wrong move trying to close the distance. Either way, Barlow is one of the “locks” for UFC 298.
2. Tafa and De Lima Will Finish Early – Under 1½ (-160)
Don’t blink when Justin Tafa and Marcos Rogerio de Lima meet in the octagon. These heavyweights are finishers and this bout is likely going under 1½ rounds. Thirteen of De Lima’s 17 UFC bouts all ended by the 1½-round mark. He either finishes his opponent or gets finished. In this case, he either gets Tafa down and submits him or he gets dusted.
As for Tafa, the “Bad Man” has finished all four of his wins by first-round KO. He may be a bit thick but he’s a quick heavyweight and has a speed edge here. Tafa can put “Pezao’s” lights out early or the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt can take him down and strangle him. Either way, bet online on this to go under 1½.
3. Lemos Lights Up Dern – Amanda Lemos (-135)
Speaking of knockouts and submissions, we may get one of the two when Amanda Lemos fights Mackenzie Dern. Considering Lemos’s near pick’em line, she is one of the best UFC bets this Feb. 17. Lemos is a hard-hitting striker who has finishes over top-10 fighters like Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson. And Dern is one of the worst strikers at 115 pounds.
Dern has a path to victory here if she can find a way to submit Lemos. But she also has no takedown abilities as evidenced by her 14% takedown accuracy. Lemos was just mauled by champion Zhang Weili so she’s likely drilled her wrestling defense. She’ll keep this fight upright and light Dern up for either a finish or a clear-cut decision.
4. Whittaker and Costa Underwhelm – Over 2½ (-150)
Moving on to the co-main event, we expect Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa to go the distance. Whittaker was KO’d in his last fight and has accumulated plenty of damage over his 20-fight UFC career. But he’s fairly durable and has the all-around skillset to keep himself in a fight, especially in a three-rounder.
Costa’s knockout power is also overstated. He was not able to put the notoriously “chinny” Luke Rockhold away. He’s also been inactive with his constant injuries and has not finished anyone since 2018. The Brazilian has no wins over fighters still in the UFC.
This bout reeks of a “Whittaker by decision” outcome. And we’re betting online it does.
Questions Of The Day
Which fighter is the most likely to land the most takedowns for UFC 298?
This would be Merab Dvalishvili and definitely not Mackenzie Dern.
Which fighter has the best betting value for a UFC parlay?
Amanda Lemos at her current odds is a valuable straight-up UFC pick this UFC 298.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
