UFC249 Preview and Betting Odds at bet365 – Ferguson vs Gaethje

UFC249 takes place this weekend against all the odds and a stacked card is headlined by Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje. Donald Cerrone vs Anthony Pettis is an undercard fight and that tells you how good this card is set to be.

Dana White hasn’t got his private island he has spoken about for many weeks but he has secured the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida which will host a PPV and two Fight Night’s in the space of seven hectic days for the sport.

* All odds correct at the time of writing (8.45am 08/05/20)

 

Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje

Current Odds:

Ferguson – 8/15

Garthje – 13/8

The main event sees Tony Ferguson take on Justin Gaethje in an interim title lightweight title fight and the bookies make Ferguson the 8/15 favourite with bet365. After Khabib Nurmagomedov pulled out due to travel restrictions, barring the announcement of Conor McGregor, Gaethje was arguably the next best opponent Dana White could find. We can expect nothing short of a slugfest from two men who know how to only fight one way – coming forward and taking the fight to their opponent.

El Cucuy has sent a warning to his opponent by admitting he’s “ahead of schedule” and that he hasn’t “had this confidence in a long time. He’s not getting out of the cage.” Ferguson is the 155lb Boogeyman of the division, he’s on a 12-fight winning streak (dating back to 2013) which has seen him take out Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis and Cowboy Cerrone in three of his last four fights.  If he can shake off the disappointment of failing to face lightweight king, Khabib (for the fifth time) then he may well become a two-time interim champion with the likes of Nurmagomedov and a certain Conor McGregor waiting in the wings.

 

Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz

Current Odds:

Cejudo – 4/9

Cruz – 15/8

The second title-fight of UFC 249 sees Henry Cejudo defend his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz, and like Tony Ferguson, he will need to adjust to a change in opponent after Jose Aldo pulled out for a similar reason to Khabib.

Cejudo hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since his main event win at UFC 238 where he KO’d Marlon Moraes. The 2008 Olympic gold medallist isn’t short of confidence, after becoming a two-weight world champion he famously claimed he is the “greatest combat athlete of all time, and I just stole the title of best pound-for-pound fighter too.” It looks like it could be a difficult night for Cruz, who hasn’t fought since 2016, the two-time bantamweight champion has the likes of TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber on his CV but this may be one step too far after such a long lay-off.

 

Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Current Odds:

Ngannou – 1/3

Rozenstruik – 12/5

Elsewhere on the UFC 249 card this weekend, we see the box-office heavyweight Francis Ngannou take on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. One of the most terrifying heavyweights’s in UFC has won his last three bouts in a combined time of 2 minutes and 22 seconds. There is good reason why he is one of the shortest prices of the night in the UFC 249 betting odds.

Ngannou’s recent wins have been:

• Cain Velasquez in 26 seconds
• Curtis Blaydes in 45 seconds
• Junior dos Santos in 1 minute 11 second.

All three were by way of punches and it’s fair to say that he may well add to that come Saturday night. The pair have a combined 19 KO’s from 24 fights, it’s fair to say both men will be looking for the big punch from the start and it may be one of those fights where a blink-and-you-miss-it moment happens. Whoever wins though is likely to be looking at Stipe Miocic’s heavyweight title with a keener eye than before.

 

Donald Cerrone vs Anthony Pettis

Current Odds:

Cerrone – 5/4

Pettis – 4/6

A fight between Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis would usually take place on the main card of a PPV UFC event, however, this is no ordinary card and Dana White is spoiling fans by putting on this showcase bout on the prelims. These pair met in 2013 where Pettis won in round one, Cerrone later admitting that his liver had been “kicked out of his body”.

Since then a lot has changed, Cowboy has faced most of the UFC big-boys and famously comes off the back of that loss to Conor McGregor. Pettis similarly facing most of the star names comes from two defeats to Carlos Ferreira and Nate Diaz. Both will be looking to kick-start their campaigns again with the loser facing an uphill struggle to reach past successes.

 

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