UFC 288 will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, kicking off Saturday at 4pm with the Eastern Qualifiers.
For those unable to attend, the qualifier fight cards will air on ESPN+, which will pick up the network at 8 PM ET.
At 10:00 PM, the battle moves to PPV for the final five battles.
The card certainly isn’t the biggest or full of Star Power, but there’s a lot to discuss in these 13 fights.
In the main event, New Jersey’s Aljamain Sterling will defend his title again against Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo.
Below, we analyze the biggest and best fights on the Fight Card.
UFC 288 odds and picks
Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo Prediction
(-115/-105)
One of the brightest minds in the MMA game, Cejudo comes to the game as a near pick after a three-year long layoff.
During that time, Cejudo has become one of the best coaches mixed martial arts has to offer.
At his peak, he did a phenomenal job of beating opponents and avoiding positional compromises.
Cejudo, in particular, was doing sneaky leg kicks long before he became as popular as he is today.
Cejudo’s argument is that he has wrestling skills.
What hasn’t worked in his favor, however, are the layoffs, and he could run into a lot of trouble against the much bigger Starling.
Cejudo wants to follow the blueprint set by Petr Jan in March 2021. Petrujan beat Sterling his seventh by disqualification.
An outbound expedition would be his friend if Cejudo can keep up the forward pressure and Sterling can keep stumbling to balance.
Ring rust is a concern. If his pressure is uncalculated and wild, it can be a long night for a challenger.
Sterling has an inside track about a possible TKO at Cejudo. Cejudo is 3 inches shorter and has 7 inches more reach at a disadvantage.
When it comes to betting, if the odds flip and Sterling is back to underdog status, he’d be fine betting +100 on BetRivers, considering he hasn’t seen Cejudo in years.
The defending champion is also +1050 for winning by KO/TKO on BetRivers. This is an excellent line given the Sterling’s sneaky power and size advantage.
Belal Muhammad vs Gilbert Burns Prediction
Welterweight title eliminator with Gilbert Burns betting it all against Belal Muhammad.
Barnes has another win over a washed Jorge Masvidal and is facing a very stingy opponent in Muhammad.
Muhammad pushes at an incredible pace, strikes with a very high volume, and leads his opponents into a hard-to-win cardio battle.
Muhammad is expected to be the winner, but the real question is whether he can avoid wrestling Burns.
This isn’t the best fight for betting purposes, but what’s odd about these odds is that Barnes’ TKO odds (+400) are lower than his submission odds (+540).
With nine submissions on his resume, Burns has the power to pull Muhammad out of the pressure.
We’ve supported Muhammad in almost every match since 2020, but judging by the line moves in this match, we’re not the only ones.
This is a cold game. You should know when to drop a fighter from your betting portfolio.
This is not a farewell to Muhammad. see you.
A small bet for Burns to win by submission +540 (Caesars).
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Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain Prediction
From the legendary Gracie family, Kron Gracie is back in the Octagon after a four-year layoff.
Betting on a fighter who was in the midst of a layoff is usually difficult as it brings more variance in an already high variance sport.
However, dispersion is not necessarily something to avoid.
In fact, in the right places, variance can be your friend if oddsmakers are willing to pay a premium.
Gracie will go up against Jourdain, who is a good striker and solid all around.
What worries me about Jourdain’s fight is that he’s not afraid to wrestle on the mat.
This can prove silly to stud submission specialists like Gracie.
Whichever fighter wins, it’s pretty clear which one will win, and you’ll say to yourself, “That guy could have been -1000 tonight.”
Gracie wins at +152 on FanDuel’s moneyline and +1700 by submitting in Round 3 at BetRivers and Barstool.
It’s a small bet, but take a shot on the clear side for this submission ace.
UFC 288 parlays and best bets
Xianon Yan by decision +250 + Drew Dober -215 + Kennedy Nzechukwu -170 + Aljamain Sterling -105
The UFC 288 parlay takes place tonight at +2000.
A few notes before we start.
- Yan enters this fight as a solid bet to beat Jessica Andrade. She has a size advantage over Andrade, and that lead jab should help keep her momentum going. outside price.
- Matt Frevola surprised many with his recent run, but Dover is about to stop on a squeak. Dover has a granite jaw and with one shot he fires three. Flevola could theoretically fight Dover, but has shown improvement in takedown defense since his fight with Islam Makachev.
- Many will join Devin Clark. Here, Nechukuu is a much better athlete with an absolute brick in his hand. Clark has been KO’d many times and you can’t trust him here.
