UFC 299 Predictions: O'Malley vs Vera 2 Prelims Picks & Odds

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08 March 2024

UFC 299 Predictions: O'Malley vs Vera 2 Prelims Picks & Odds

These UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 prelims predictions and best bets are brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline is a market leader in sportsbooks, offering a variety of options from the UFC to the NFL and everything in between.

One of the biggest MMA events of the year goes down on Saturday when UFC 299 goes live from Kaseya Center in Miami, FL. Betting News has covered the UFC 299 festivities throughout the week and now it’s time to turn our attention to this weekend’s early bouts.

While most MMA bettors have their sites set on the Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 main event, the preliminary and early prelims cards also feature opportunities to win big.

Without wasting any more time, let’s check out my UFC 299 predictions for the preliminary and early prelim fights. We went 5-2 at UFC Mexico, so let’s keep the momentum going!

2024 UFC Prelims Best Bet Record: 11-17-1

UFC 299 Predictions: O’Malley vs Vera 2 Preliminary Card Odds & Picks

The UFC 299 preliminary card odds are as of Friday, March 8 at 12:03 p.m.

Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida Prediction — Heavyweight

Curtis Blaydes (-107)
Jailton Almeida (-113)

Curtis Blaydes (17-4, 1 NC) has been on quite the run lately, going 7-2 in his last nine fights as he comes off a TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich last April. He’ll have his hands full with Jailton Almeida (20-2), who’s riding a 15-fight winning streak into Miami.

While I do like Blaydes, it’s hard to imagine Almeida slowing down. The 32-year-old has taken out everyone put in front of him at the UFC level and boasts a ton of momentum after defeating former heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis just a few months ago.

With the moneyline being fairly close, let’s stick with Almeida winning this one outright.

Blaydes vs Almeida Pick: Jailton Almeida ML (-113)

Katlyn Cerminara vs Maycee Barber Prediction — Women’s Flyweight

Katlyn Cerminara (+175)
Maycee Barber (-205)

As solid as Cerminara was before, a 17-month layoff could leave her rusty. Meanwhile, Barber hasn’t tasted defeat in over three years and is piling up the wins. Her cardio is also likely better than the underdog’s due to her having fought twice in 2023.

Considering how Barber has only finished one of her last seven opponents, I see her most likely winning via points.

Cerminara vs Barber Pick: Maycee Barber via Points (+100)

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Mateusz Gamrot vs Rafael dos Anjos Prediction — Lightweight

Mateusz Gamrot (-415)
Rafael dos Anjos (+345)

Mateusz Gamrot (23-2, 1 NC) has been near-unstoppable lately, going 6-1 with four finishes in his last seven outings. Meanwhile, Rafael dos Anjos (32-15) has been incredibly inconsistent, dropping to 4-6 in his last 10 fights with a unanimous decision loss to Vicente Luque in the UFC Vegas 78 main event.

It’s a no-brainer to back Gamrot this weekend. Not only is he six years younger than his counterpart, but he also has nearly as many wins since April 2021 (6) as dos Anjos’ has across 13 fights over the last seven years (7).

Dos Anjos is durable, so I don’t expect a finish to happen in Miami. Instead, Gamrot will likely win by some form of decision.

Gamrot vs Dos Anjoys Pick: Mateusz Gamrot via Points (-170)

Pedro Munhoz vs Kyler Phillips Prediction — Bantamweight

UFC 299 predictions: preliminary card and early prelims

Pedro Munhoz (+174)
Kyler Phillips (-204)

Pedro Munhoz (20-8, 2 NC) desperately needs a win at UFC 299 after going 2-5 with a no-contest in his last eight fights. On the flip side, Kyler Phillips (11-2) aims for a third consecutive win after overcoming Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision in August.

It’s hard to doubt Phillips this weekend. Not only is he the more accurate fighter of the two, but he also absorbs nearly three fewer significant strikes per minute than Munhoz while also averaging more takedowns per 15 minutes (2.87 vs. 0.47) with better accuracy (46% vs. 19%).

The majority of Munhoz’s fights go the distance, though, so I don’t anticipate a finish here either. Back Phillips to win by points.

Munhoz vs Phillips Pick: Kyler Phillips via Points (-140)

UFC 299 Predictions: O’Malley vs Vera 2 Early Prelims Odds & Picks

Ion Cutelaba vs Philipe Lins Prediction — Light Heavyweight

Ion Cutelaba (-125)
Philipe Lins (+105)

BetOnline expects a close fight when Ion Cutelaba (17-9-1, 1 NC) faces Philipe Lins (17-5) at UFC 299. Having said that, I don’t exactly trust Cutelaba, who’s a putrid 2-5-1 in his last eight fights.

Meanwhile, Lins heads to Miami on a three-fight winning streak since returning to the light heavyweight division. The former PFL Heavyweight Champion has looked at home in the UFC, so I won’t be surprised if he pulls off the upset at Kaseya Center.

Cutelaba has been finished thrice in his last four fights, so look for Lins to win inside of the distance.

Cutelaba vs Lins Pick: Philipe Lins to Win Inside the Distance (+150)

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Michel Pereira vs Michal Oleksiejczuk Prediction — Middleweight

Michel Pereira (-140)
Michal Oleksiejczuk (+120)

Michael Pereira (29-11, 2 NC) is the favorite in this bout and it isn’t hard to see why as he’s won six consecutive fights. He’ll try to keep the momentum going against Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-6, 1 NC), who has three TKO victories since moving to the middleweight division in 2022.

Oleksiejczuk has a ton of power, but Pereira knows how to keep his distance. “Demolidor” only absorbs 3.74 significant blows per minute and can make Oleksiejczuk pay for any missed strikes given that Pereira also averages 1.56 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Look for this fight to go the distance as Pereira eventually wins via points.

Pereira vs Oleksiejczuk Pick: Michel Pereira via Points (+270)

Robelis Despaigne vs Josh Parisian Prediction — Heavyweight

Robelis Despaigne (-340)
Josh Parisian (+280)

Robelis Despaigne (4-0) — a former bronze medalist in taekwondo at the 2012 Olympics — makes his UFC debut on Saturday. He’s facing Josh Parisian (15-7), who’s hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss.

Let’s not overthink things here. Even though Despaigne hasn’t fought in the UFC yet, his last three fights each lasted longer than 12 seconds. He’s something special and I don’t see the slumping Parisian stopping his run.

Take Despaigne to pick up another first-round KO/TKO and move on.

Despaigne vs Parisian Pick: Robelis Despaigne via KO/TKO in Round 1 (-190)

C.J. Vergara vs Assu Almabayev Prediction — Catchweight (127 lbs)

C.J. Vergara (+425)
Assu Almabayev (-575)

After a brief hiccup, C.J. Vergara (12-4-1) is back on track following back-to-back wins over Daniel da Silva and Vinicius Salvador. His next fight won’t be easy, though, as Assu Almabayev (18-2) boasts a 14-fight winning streak, having not lost since September 2017.

Yes, Vergara is coming off consecutive victories, but da Silva and Salvador are hardly on the same level as Almabayev. The 30-year-old Kazakhstani fighter has finished nine of his last 14 opponents and just submitted Ode Osbourne in his UFC debut.

Almabayev knows how to break his opponents down, so I won’t be surprised if a mistimed strike from Veragara results in a submission finish.

Vergara vs Almabayev Pick: Assu Almabayev via KO/TKO in Round 1 (-190)

Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz Prediction — Women’s Flyweight

Joanne Wood (+195)
Maryna Moroz (-230)

Joanne Wood (16-8) is the major underdog at UFC 299 after losing three of her last four fights. At the same time, Maryna Moroz (11-5) hopes to avoid a third straight loss after submitting to Karine Silva at UFC 292.

I’m just not a huge fan of betting on this fight due to neither fighter performing all that consistently lately. Moroz hasn’t tasted victory in over two years while Wood’s only has one win since June 2021 and isn’t getting any younger.

Let’s go with a neutral bet by backing this fight to go the distance.