UFC 299: Preliminary Card Betting Preview
All true MMA fans have had UFC 299 circled on the UFC schedule for months now because it’s arguably the most stacked card the UFC has put together in years in terms.
We are spoiled with an unbelievable PPV portion of the event but what sets it apart is the prelims and the quality of fights on there. From the early prelims with skilled flyweight CJ Vergara and Asu Almabaev, to the featured prelim between top heavyweights, this card is a certified ‘banger.’
Let’s take a closer look at these fights and talk about the UFC 299 preliminary card betting preview before you decide on what bets to make this weekend. We will discuss the upcoming scores and odds of the UFC fights, break down the betting lines, and give winning picks for a handful of the best bouts coming to you on Saturday night before the PPV starts.
Flyweight Prospects
We are starting this UFC 299 preliminary card betting preview with the second bout of the night; this flyweight matchup between Vergara and Almabaev. Almabaev is an 18-2 fighter from Kazakhstan with legitimate skills and always puts on great performances.
Vergara has experience against great prospects like Ode Osbourne back in 2021 and Tatsuro Taira in 2022, meaning this is a comfortable position to be in as the gatekeeper to the top half of the division.
With that being said, Almabaev is a -475 betting favorite for a reason and we are taking him to win inside the distance at -105 this weekend to start the betting slate off right.
- Pick: Almabaev inside the distance -105 at BetUS.
Bantamweight Gatekeeper?
Has Pedro Munhoz turned into the gatekeeper for the bantamweight division? Coming off a loss to Chito Vera which led to Vera earning a title shot this weekend, he is now taking on the unranked Kyler Phillips while holding a #13 ranking himself.
Phillips is one of the most underrated bantamweights in the world. He has fought at the APEX a lot since the pandemic and had sometimes taken away from him when he was suspended after USADA found trace amounts of Ostrine in his system; proved to be most likely a tainted supplement–coincidentally an identical situation that his teammate Sean O’Malley had to go through years back when he first broke into the UFC landscape.
From a technical standpoint, Munhoz is still a dangerous guy to match up with even if he might be past his athletic prime and coming off a few sub-par performances. He throws heavy leg kicks, solid wrestling, and has experience against the best in the world.
This could be Phillips’ coming-out party, though. He is arguably the most impressive athlete in the division, being a lifelong gymnast and grappler. He has a unique style of dynamic kickboxing and his grappling skills make him stand out from the rest of the bantamweight rising prospects.
Sometimes it just feels like it’s someone’s time to shine, and that’s Kyler Phillips’ situation this weekend. We are taking Phillips to get his hand raised and will use that pick to add to a parlay to boost the odds a bit. His betting favorite money line isn’t the most valuable, but this is a fight to watch for this weekend.
Does RDA Still Have it in Him?
Rafael dos Anjos is back in the lightweight division after a loss to Vincente Luque at welterweight last summer. He’s a better matchup physically against lightweights than he is at welterweight, but the weight cut and the age are two big factors now at this stage in RDA’s career.
The Brazilian UFC legend will be going up against the often-dominant Polish contender Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot is coming off a big TKO win over Rafael Fiziev last September and is looking to make a push back into title contention with a dominant win over a former champ.
We are taking Gamrot to win inside the distance at +375 in this one, according to UFC odds. This is a big risk because RDA is hard to finish, but the slow starts of RDA and the pressure of Gamrot will lead to a finish. This is the biggest of all the UFC bets on this weekend’s prelims at these odds.
- Pick: Gamrot inside the distance +375.
Featured Prelim Bout
The final fight to set the stage for the UFC 299 PPV card is this top-10 matchup in the heavyweight division. Curtis Blaydes is looking to bounce back from his KO loss to Pavlovich last spring with a statement win over the dominant rising contender, Jailton Almeida.
Almeida is coming off a main event win over Derrick Lewis in November, earning his shot into the top 5 of the division. The former light heavyweight will be giving up some size to Blaydes, but his strength and athleticism cause him to be a major issue for anybody in the world.
Usually, when two grapplers face off, the fight turns into a striking battle. This nuance makes this matchup very interesting and it could end at any moment with these two massive fighters throwing around 4-ounces of leather.
At virtual coin-flip odds, we are taking Blaydes to get the job done on Saturday night. He will halt the momentum of the hype train and prove why he’s a legit championship contender. Blaydes is the better striker and is arguably the best wrestler in the division. The confidence in his hands will lead to a big win.
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