UFC 297: Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault odds, picks & predictions

In a 3-round middleweight bout on the main card, Chris Curtis and Marc-Andre Barriault meet Saturday at UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 297: Curtis vs. Barriault odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the prelims can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. The main card begins on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET.

Records: Curtis (30-10-0) | Barriault (16-6-0)

Curtis had a no contest last time out at UFC 289 against Nassourdine Imavov, with the latter accidentally driving his head into the right eye of Curtis midway through Round 2. After being examined by doctors, Curtis said he could not see out of his right eye. The Action Man begged referee Jason Herzog for more time, but the fight was waved off.

Prior to that bout, Curtis had lost via unanimous decision against Kelvin Gastelum, and he is just 1-2 across the past 3, with the lone win a KO/TKO against Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282.

Barriault stopped Eryk Anders at UFC 289 via unanimous decision last time out, and he dropped Julian Marquez at UFC 285 in a KO/TKO in Round 2. He is 5-2 across the past 7 fights, with a pair of knockouts, a submission win and a pair of unanimous-decision victories. He has also lost via KO/TKO and submission, too.

The 36-year-old Curtis holds a 1.5-inch reach advantage, while Barriault has a 5.95-to-5.36 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The Canadian fighter also has a 0.24 takedown average and 0.12 submission average.

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UFC 297: Curtis vs. Barriault odds

BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.

UFC 297: Curtis vs. Barriault picks and predictions

The Canadian fighter BARRIAULT (+150) is worth a look as a moderate underdog, as he should be able to feed off the crowd and ride the wave of emotion to victory in this very closely-matched bout.

Barriault has been the hotter fighter lately, with 2 wins in the past 2 tries and a win via decision, a win via KO/TKO and a win via submission across the past 4 bouts. He can win a number of ways, and that will serve him well against the veteran Curtis (-185).

Over 2.5 Rounds (-165) isn’t necessarily priced out of line, but it isn’t cheap, either. YES (-135): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? is a better value, even if Barriault has only gone the distance twice in the past 6 bouts. Curtis has ended up going the distance in 3 of his past 4 full fights, not including the no contest last time out.

In addition, playing BARRIAULT BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+400) for a chance to multiply your initial wager by 4 times is worth a roll of the dice.