UFC St. Louis Three Best Moneyline Bets

JJ Aldrich (13-6) vs Veronica Hardy (8-4-1) 

Riding a two-fight winning streak, Aldrich is often overlooked in most of her fights which is why people have been able to cash her as an underdog on multiple occasions. She does not jump off the page as a spectacular fighter, but relatively speaking to the rest of her division she has very crisp striking and good counter striking. Her takedown defense allows her to keep fights in the striking realm where he can have most of her success.

Hardy took off three years from the cage and made a boat load of changes. Since returning, she has gone 2-0 and showcased a very solid style that makes it hard for her opponents to have any success against her.

Perpetual lateral movement, kicks, blitzing combinations, and in-and-out movement makes her hard to hit and hard to track. Her cardio suffers a tad late in fights, but for the most part she does enough through 10 minutes to usually secure those rounds on the scorecards.

Aldrich could find success with her counter punching style, but I think the movement and speed advantages that Hardy will have should result in Hardy pulling off her third straight victory.

Hardy will benefit from Aldrich not providing a whole lot of finishing or pressure threat, which should allow her to dictate the pace and range the fight is contested at. Look for a three-round methodical point-fighting style from Hardy to get the win. 

The Pick: Veronica Hardy -140 

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Billy Goff (9-2) vs Trey Waters (8-1) 

One of the more exciting prospects on the roster, Goff brings the pressure and pace to his opponents every time out. He has a diverse striking skill set but also an ability to grind his opponents out in the clinch and on the mat. His cardio and pressure style benefits him a lot in deep water when his opponents have broken and are unable to keep up with his style.

Waters is a tall and lanky welterweight who likes to work behind his long jab and cross down the pipe. He has a decent understanding of range and how to use it but struggles when he is fighting someone who pressures him well. There have been a few fights on his record that he has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. That will be harder to achieve as he continues taking steps up in competition.

The disparity in height and reach will work against Goff, but Goff is not one to stick around at range and let Waters get comfortable with his distance-striking style. Look for Goff to continuously crash the pocket, look to get his grappling going, all while mixing in strikes to keep Waters guessing. I’ll lean with the dog to pull off the upset here with a late finish. 

The Pick: Billy Goff +140

Joaquin Buckley (18-6) vs Nursulton Ruziboev (34-8-2)

Buckley was shouting from the rooftops to main event this fight in St. Louis as it is his hometown, he got the next best thing which is to co-main event it. His power striking style has matured tenfold since making his UFC debut back in 2020. Harnessing it better over the course of 15 minutes all while looking to sprinkle in some grappling, Buckley is rounding out his game very well considering the high-level experience he has accrued in recent years.

Looking to go 3-0 in the UFC, Ruziboev has put away both of his UFC opponents in the first round and showcasing he has what it takes to compete at this level. He will be making his UFC welterweight debut on this card, which is something to keep an eye on considering his size and the fact that he competed just over a month ago at middleweight. Using his length very well, Ruziboev does a great job of sniping his opponents down the pipe and hurting them. With over 40 fights of experience even before stepping foot in the cage, Ruziboev’s skillset needs to be respected.

Both of these gentlemen competed on the UFC Atlantic City card at the end of March, so it’s great to see them get right back into action after taking minimal damage. Buckley has made tremendous improvements in his game since losing his debut to Holland in 2020. Fighting another rangy fighter here, I expect him to crash the pocket effectively and keep Ruziboev on the defensive. I believe that will end up translating into a finish for Buckley with the massive power he possesses. 

The Pick: Joaquin Buckley -130