UFC 240 Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar Prediction: MMA Odds, Picks

For the first time since UFC 215 in September 2017, the organization returns to Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday night with UFC 240. It’s headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar. The main card is expected to begin at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view. Here’s a look at it and the Sports Interaction MMA odds.

Max Holloway (20-4) vs. Frankie Edgar (23-6-1)

Division: Featherweight

UFC odds: Holloway -480, Edgar +320

Prediction: Holloway by decision

Frankie Edgar is trying to do what Holloway recently couldn’t – win titles in multiple divisions. The 37-year-old Edgar won the lightweight title back in 2010 with a huge upset of BJ Penn. “The Answer” defended the belt three times, once vs. Penn and twice against Gray Maynard. However, then Benson Henderson beat Edgar in back-to-back fights by decision and Edgar moved to featherweight. He was given an immediate title shot vs. Jose Aldo in February 2013 and lost, then another chance vs. Aldo about three years later and lost again. This is first title shot since and probably the last should he lose. It’s actually the third time the UFC has scheduled a Holloway-Edgar bout, but one of them pulled out injured of the first two.

Holloway as noted is the featherweight champion but comes off a loss. “Blessed” fought for the interim lightweight title in April against Dustin Poirier and lost by unanimous decision. Holloway is on a 13-fight winning streak as a featherweight (two over Aldo) since losing to Conor McGregor in August 2013. Holloway is five inches taller than Edgar but has just an inch reach advantage. 

Cris Cyborg (20-2) vs. Felicia Spencer (7-0)

Division: Women’s featherweight

UFC odds: Cyborg -715, Spencer +430

Prediction: Cyborg by KO/TKO

Spencer was born in Montreal but now fights out of Florida. Cyborg, from Brazil, lost her first professional fight in 2005 but then was unbeaten in the next 21 to become the most feared female fighter on the planet and the UFC women’s featherweight champion. However, she was stunned in a sizable upset by current pound-for-pound queen and two-division champion Amanda Nunes in December by first-round knockout. Depending on who you believe, Cyborg could get a rematch with Nunes with a victory here, but Cyborg also could sign with another organization because her contract is up with the UFC. Recently, UFC president Dana White said it was Cyborg who doesn’t want the rematch, as both Nunes and the promotion want to see that fight happen again. Cyborg could be posturing for a better deal from the UFC.

The 28-year-old Spencer, nicknamed “Feenom,” made her UFC debut with an upset of Megan Anderson in May by first-round submission. Spencer’s past three wins have been by submission, but she’s hasn’t fought anyone like Cyborg. This would be one of the biggest upsets in UFC women’s history. 

Geoff Neal (11-2) vs. Niko Price (13-2)

Division: Welterweight

UFC odds: Neal -285, Price +210

Prediction: Neal by KO/TKO

Matchup of Americans, with neither ranked in the division currently ruled by Kamaru Usman. The southpaw Neal has fought in a handful of organizations and brings a five-fight winning streak into Saturday – three of those in the UFC. He beat Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision in January.  Price, who will have a slight reach advantage, is off a first-round TKO victory over Tim Means in March. Only one of his 15 career bouts has gone to the judges. 

Olivier Aubin-Mercier (12-4) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (13-2)

Division: Lightweight

UFC Odds: Tsarukyan -245, Aubin-Mercier +180

Prediction: Tsarukyan by decision

Aubin-Mercier is from Boucherville in Quebec, while Tsarukyan is from Russia with neither ranked in the division. “The Canadian Gangster” has lost back-to-back fights for the first time as a professional, falling to Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision last December and to Alexander Hernandez also by unanimous decision in July 2018. The 30-year-old Aubin-Mercier has just one career victory by KO/TKO, which was a first-round TKO of Evan Dunham in April of last year. Tsarukyan had a 12-fight winning streak end in his UFC debut in April, falling by unanimous decision to Islam Makhachev in a terrific back-and-forth bout. 

Marc-Andre Barriault (11-2) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (20-4)

Division: Lightweight

UFC Odds: Jotko -185, Barriault +145

Prediction: Barriault by KO/TKO

Barriault is from Gatineau in Quebec and Jotko from Poland and neither is ranked. Jotko, who will have a three-inch reach advantage, ended a three-fight losing streak in April with a unanimous decision win over Alen Amedovski in April. Jotko usually wins by decision with 65 per cent of his victories via that route. Barriault brought an eight-fight winning streak into his UFC debut in May but lost a unanimous decision to Andrew Sanchez. Eight of the 11 career wins by the “Power Bar” are by KO/TKO.