UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa odds, picks and predictions

In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 239 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 97 and UFC Vegas 88 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.

Records: Battle (11-2-0) | Loosa (10-3-0)

Battle heads into this fight with 2 consecutive victories inside the distance, posting a 2nd-round submission win against AJ Fletcher last time out in late September. Prior to that, Battle made quick work of Gabe Green with a KO/TKO win in a mere 14 seconds. Since arriving at the UFC level, Battle has won 5 of his 6 fights, with 2 bouts going the distance.

Loosa has appeared in 3 fights at the UFC level, and he has won 2 in a row via unanimous-decision after losing his debut to Mounir Lazzez in April 2022, also via UD. In fact, the fighter from the Democratic Republic of Congo has ended up going the distance in each of his past 7 pro bouts. That streak includes a unanimous-decision loss to Jack Della Maddalena in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5, Week 3.

Battle enters the octagon with a 3-inch reach advantage, and while Loosa has landed 6.32 significant strikes per minute, Battle is more accurate with 58.28%. Battle is a little better on the ground, too, posting a 0.63-to-0.25 submission average.

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UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa odds

BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:45 p.m. ET.

UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa picks and predictions

Battle (-190) is just a little too expensive to bet straight up, costing nearly 2 times your potential return. Instead, let’s get a little more specific.

Loosa (+160) has ended up going the distance in all 3 fights since arriving at the UFC level and each of his previous 7 pro bouts. As such, backing BATTLE BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+150) at plus-money is a much more attractive option than the more costly 2-way line.

While Over 2.5 Rounds (-200) is a little on the pricey side, costing 2 times your potential return, backing YES (-165): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? is not priced out of line.

Again, the last time we saw Loosa fight inside the distance was at the lower levels against Rustam Khasanov at Tech-Krep FC: International Caucasian Fight Championship way back in Oct. 2016.