UFC 297 Odds and Best Bets: Plenty of Canadian content on display in Toronto
The UFC’s first big event of the year is headed North to Toronto for UFC 297. The main card is packed with talent and features two title fights as Sean Strickland defends his middleweight belt against Dricus du Plessis, while Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva face off for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.
We’ve got you covered with the best bets you can make for all five UFC 297 main card fights.
Don’t forget to check us out for complete MMA betting odds.
Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis
It’s surprising Strickland even holds the middleweight belt as he was a pretty heavy underdog against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 last September. There’s two schools of thought on why Strickland won the belt. One says he has evolved his skillset and become one of the most elite fighters in the UFC. The second thought is, maybe Strickland coincidentally turned in the best performance of his career while Adesanya was having a bad night. I’ll give Strickland full credit for performing against Adesanya, but I just don’t think he’s good enough to hold the belt very long. Du Plessis proved in a convincing win over Robert Whittaker last summer that he’s ready to vie for the middleweight championship and I believe he has more tools in his bag of tricks than Strickland.
UFC 297 best bet: Dricus du Plessis moneyline (-110)
Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
The UFC women’s bantamweight title has been vacant since the retirement of the legendary Amanda Nunes last June. Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva will get the first shot at grabbing the belt. I like Silva in this fight. Pennington has a slight reach advantage and she’s a good boxer, but Silva is the more well-rounded fighter. Silva actively pressures opponents and she has a large gas tank, which is a major advantage in a five-round fight.
UFC 297 best bet: Mayra Bueno Silva moneyline (-165)
Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
Burlington, Ontario native Mike Malott can definitively claim the title of the face of Canadian MMA with a big performance against Neil Magny in front of a friendly home crowd. Malott has dominated each of his first three UFC welterweight fights, but Magny is a big step up in competition. I like Malott in this fight, but Magny has played spoiler so many times that it’s tough to lay an outright bet on either fighter. What seems very possible, however, is this looks like the fight that will finally force Malott to go the distance.
UFC 297 best bet: Fight to go the distance – Yes (+200)
Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
More Canadian content in this one as Gatineau, Quebec’s Marc-Andre Barriault takes on Chris Curtis in a middleweight bout. It’s tough not to go with the Canuck, but Barriault just takes way too much abuse to last against Curtis. Barriault is aggressive, but he also fights with a face-first style that leaves him very vulnerable. Curtis has thrived against those type of fighters, so I expect him to wait for Barriault to make a mistake then pounce on the Canadian and end this fight early.
UFC 297 best bet: Chris Curtis via KO/TKO or DQ (+250)
Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
The best thing I can say about this featherweight fight between Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev is it’s the first one on the main card, so we’ll get it out of the way quickly. This could be a bit of a dud in terms of entertainment as neither fighter is very aggressive and they have just four career stoppage victories combined between them in 18 fights. The easy pick is taking this fight to go the distance, but the payout isn’t worth it. You’re better off siding with the underdog Allen because you’re getting plus-money on a coin-toss fight.
UFC 297 best bet: Arnold Allen moneyline (+160)
