UFC 223 will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 7 and it features two title fights. Holloway vs. Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight belt will headline the card while Rose Namajunas will put her UFC women's strawweight belt on the line in a rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Make sure to look at BetOnline for latest odds on UFC 223.
Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Betting odds:
Holloway +205
Nurmagomedov -240
Total: 3.5
Max Holloway is the new main event foil to Khabib Nurmagomedov after Tony Ferguson withdrew due to injury. He's an exceptionally accurate and high volume striker, which has given Khabib problems at times.
Khabib Nurmagomedov on the other hand is 25-0, winning 36 percent of his fights by decision. This will be his fourth fight since 2016 and he beat Edson Barboza in December. This promises to be a great fight as these two can't seem to lose.
Nurmagomedov is unbeaten in his career while Holloway hasn't lost in years.
Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Betting odds:
Namajunas +105
Jedrzejczyk -125
Total: 3.5
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is 14-1 and she's won 64 percent of her fights by decision. Jedrzejczyk is 5-1 in her last six fights, including the only loss of her career in November against Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas has an 8-3 record and she's won 75 percent of her fights by submission. The defending champion is 5-1 in her last six fights.
Namajunas controlled the pace in the first fight against Jedrzejczyk, she dropped her many times and showed quicker hands and overwhelming power, so unless Jedrzejczyk eats Namajunas' power shots better, the result won't be different this time.
Renato Moicano vs. Calvin Kattar
Betting odds:
Moicano +105
Kattar -125
Total: 2.5
Renato Moicano is 11-1-1, winning 45 percent of his fights by submission. Moicano is 5-1 in his last six fights, including a loss to Brian Ortega in July.
Calvin Kattar has an 18-2 record and he's won 44 percent of his fights by decision. Kattar is 10-0 in his last 10 fights and he beat Shane Burgos in January.
Moicano will come out focused, looking to avenge the first loss of his career but Kattar was impressive against Burgos and he's been on a roll, which is hard to ignore.
Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis
Betting odds:
Chiesa -131
Pettis +111
Total: 2.5
Michael Chiesa has a 14-3 record and he's won 71 percent of his fights by submission. Chiesa is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and he lost against Kevin Lee in June.
Anthony Pettis is 20-7 and he's won 50 percent of his fights by knockout. Pettis is 2-5 in his last seven fights, including a loss against Dustin Poirier in November.
Pettis hasn't been the same fighter lately, he hasn't had a knockout in five years, two of his last three losses were by knockout and he hasn't been able to finish fights strong, which has resulted in losses by decision. Chiesa is in better form and he's worth a look here.
Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder
Betting odds:
Iaquinta -117
Felder -103
Total: 2.5
Al Iaquinta is 13-3-1 and he's won 54 percent of his fights by knockout. Iaquinta is 5-0 in his last five fights and he beat Diego Sanchez last April.
Paul Felder has a 15-3 record and 67 percent of his wins were by knockout. Felder is 5-1 in his last six fights and he's coming off a win over Charles Oliveira in December. Iaquinta has one fight in the last three years and he might have some rust. Felder's overall form gives me more confidence in this spot.
Rest of the card
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Felice Herrig
Betting odds:
Kowalkiewicz -176
Herrig +156
Total: 2.5
Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno
Betting odds:
Borg -265
Moreno +225
Total: 2.5
Joe Lauzon vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
Betting odds:
Lauzon -170
Gruetzemacher +145
Total: 1.5
Evan Dunham (-145) vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (+125)
Alex Caceres (-140) vs. Artem Lobov (+120)
Bec Rawlings (+165) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (-190)
Devin Clark vs. Michael Rodriguez (N/A at press time)
Zabit Magomedsharipov (-800) vs. Kyle Bochniak (+575)
UFC 223 is one the best cards this year. From top to bottom the card is stacked with a mix of UFC veterans and young talent on display that is sure not to disappoint. You can catch the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and the prelims on FS1. The main card will be Pay Per View starting at 10 pm EST/7 pm PST. Fightful.com will have a full, live post-show podcast immediately following the event.
Odds courtesy of BetOnline
