UFC 285: Best Moneyline Bets
UFC 285: BEST MONEYLINE BETS – The card is set for UFC 285 and fight fans around the world are locked into an incredible main event between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane. Make sure to take a look at our best prop bets for the main event while you’re shopping prices.
While UFC 285 promises to be a terrific event, I’ve identified three undercard fights that offer some terrific value on the card. Let’s take s look at my three best moneyline bets fort UFC 285.
Julian Marquez (9-3) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (14-6)
Since returning from his 2.5 year layoff due to lingering injuries, Marquez has put together a 2-1 record with his last fight being a devastating loss at the hands of Gregory Rodrigues.
Built like a tank, Marquez fights exactly like his nickname, ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’, would indicate. He has big power in his punches and kicks as well as a very sneaky submission game if he catches you slacking.
Unfortunately he got caught in the fallout of the James Krause situation which forced him to change training camps and go with a guy that was closely affiliated with his original team, Factory X. I think this is a great move for him, but I still think he will be capped by his power punching style and recklessness that better fighters can take advantage of.
Barriault Wants to Say Active
Barriault has exchanged wins and losses over his last four fights, but this will be his fifth fight in the space of 15 months, which shows that he wants to remain as active as possible.
He’s coming off a loss to Anthony Hernandez, who employs a similar pressure style game against his opponents. Unfortunately for Barriault, he seemed to injure his rib early in that fight which caused him to slow down and get finished.
Barriault thrives in fights where he pushes the pace, stays in his opponent’s face, and keeps a high level of activity.
Whether it’s with the clinch, takedowns, or simply turning the volume up on his opponents, Barriault is accustomed to breaking his opponents and running away with fights late.
Barriault’s Complete Style
Although there is slight hesitation on my side in terms of the amount of confidence I have in Barriault, he has the more complete style to win this fight.
The hold up comes from Barriault’s quick knockout loss to Chidi Njokuani back in early 2022. However, Njokuani is much faster and more of a sniper than the striking style that Marquez imposes.
Barriault will push the pace from the jump and will drown Marquez. This could lead either to a late finish or a decision victory with Barriault picking up the latter rounds.
The Pick: Marc-Andre Barriault -140
Viviane Araujo (11-4) vs. Amanda Ribas (10-3)
With the recent losses Araujo has suffered, it’s clear we’ve determined what her ceiling in the UFC is.
She will float around that top 5-10 range in the flyweight division, but still be a stiff test for anyone looking to get into title talk discussions. Her last loss came to the woman challenging for the title later on in this card.
Araujo is a competent striker who likes to throw in combinations and has a nasty leg kick when implemented confidently. She can drag fights to the ground if need be, but when she has a fight on her terms she is stalking her opponent and chopping away at them with big strikes.
Ribas Skepticism
I’ve long been a naysayer of Ribas and it’s helped me cash a few tickets against her.
She’s made it clear that if you are a far superior striker to her and you can keep the fight upright long enough to implement it, you can defeat it.
If you don’t have a striking game, Ribas will take advantage of you in that realm. I am not a big believer in her striking game. Although, it is improving from when I originally started questioning her skill level.
It looks good from the outside, but I think she lacks when she faces a better striker and the holes in her game start to show. She is a solid jiu jitsu player which is where she’ll likely have her most success in fights.
However, just like her opponent this weekend, she’s shown her hand as to what her potential is capped at in the UFC.
Araujo
I think Araujo is a far better striker than Ribas and she should be able to stuff the inevitable takedown attempts from Ribas.
Araujo is very strong in the clinch and grappling situations early. I do have a bit of a concern regarding her cardio issues later in  fights but I don’t think Ribas is enough of a threat to take advantage of that.
Araujo should already be ahead enough to cruise to a decision victory by the time her cardio starts becoming an issue.
The Pick: Viviane Araujo +100
Derek Brunson (23-8) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (18-2)
It may surprise some people that Brunson has decided to step into the cage again. He recently turned 39 but before his last fight claimed he likely had two more fights left in him.
His plan was to beat Cannonier, beat Adesanya to win the belt, then retire. However, he couldn’t successfully complete step one.
Here he is, a year later, trying to restart those plan. But he finds himself further away from a title shot.
At his best, Brunson has used wrestling and big power in his hands to find victory. His durability has been the crux of his losses and that will only get worse as he gets older. His cardio is also a little suspect, especially when he isn’t able to manage his gas tank well early in fights.
The South African
The South African has burst onto the scene and made a lot of noise thus far. He has won all four of his UFC appearances thus far with three of his wins coming by finish.
He lacks a bit in the technical aspects of MMA, but makes up for it with his athleticism and power.
Prior to his second last fight, he had never seen the judge’s scorecards in 18 professional MMA fights. Many questioned his ability to win a decision should he ever reach that mark and he proved many people wrong after beating Brad Tavares, a man with 12 decision victories to his name.
People will continue to count out Du Plessis and say his lack of technical abilities will soon catch up to him as he takes steps up the ladder, but he looks to silence those naysayers every time he competes.
The Chalky Pick
I’m usually a large advocate of picking the more technically sound fighter, but, outside of the wrestling, I don’t think Brunson is all that technical either.
Brunson has solid wrestling entries and decent top control, but he will struggle to hold Du Plessis down. Du Plessis is very strong and has solid get ups.
On the feet, they both have a lot of power, but Du Plessis will be the one reaching the target a lot quicker and cleaner which should topple Brunson.
This is a chalky favorite, but I really don’t expect Brunson to deal well with the power and athleticism of Du Plessis. Taking the under 2.5 or fight doesn’t go to decision isn’t a bad way of approaching this fight either, but I think Du Plessis is the one that finds the button and puts Brunson to sleep.
