UFC Vegas 101 Three Best Moneyline Bets
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (9-0) vs Bruno Lopes (13-1)
A rollercoaster of a UFC debut resulted in a victory for Gadzhiyasulov last year, now he tries taking out yet another Brazilian foe. Fighting as you would expect a Magomed to, Gadzhiyasulov uses a grapple heavy approach to nullify the offense of his opponents. Unfortunately, his level of competition and lack of dominant performances makes him not as dangerous as we’ve seen from other fighters that bring his skill set. Read more UFC Vegas 101 three best moneyline bets.
Lopes needed two attempts on the Contender Series, but finally came through last time out by finishing his opponent in the second round with body shots. This BJJ black belt is starting to fall in love with his striking, which helps fuel his grappling as he is able to set up his takedowns without as much resistance when throwing his punches first.
Gadzhiyasulov has a ton of question marks, and those questions start to increase as he continues taking steps up in competition. As a bettor, it’s hard to overlook the resistance Lopes can present, especially if he can replicate the leg kicks that debilitated Gadzhiyasulov last time. Add in the slight striking advantage from Lopes, things could get very shaky for the big favorite.
The Pick: Bruno Lopes +205
Jose Johnson (16-9) vs Felipe Bunes (13-7)
Johnson did not have the flyweight debut he had hoped for when Almabayev put him through the ringer. However, with a solid enough stylistic matchup, Johnson could look like a ranked fighter given his lanky frame and striking skills. His defensive grappling is slowly improving, especially with his work off his back. It’s his takedown defense that has been steadily improving but when facing an elite wrestler, it’s difficult to showcase those improvements.
Making his debut on the first event of 2024, Bune now makes his return on the first event of 2025. As a BJJ black belt, Bunes often looks to get fights to the mat, but he has shown some solid striking skills as well. The confidence in the striking starts to fall off if he’s unable to put opponents in bad positions, and that’s where things start to get a bit iffy for him.
I believe Johnson will have a significant enough striking advantage and good enough takedown defense to keep this fight in a spot he feels most comfortable. People will hammer Johnson for his takedown defense, but I don’t think Bunes presents a whole lot of issues as a wrestler. Thus, look for Johnson to do as he needs to with his strikes to get the better of Bunes and win this fight on the scorecards.
The Pick: Jose Johnson -190
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Christian Rodriguez (11-2) vs Austin Bashi (13-0)
In one of the more surprising results of 2024, Rodriguez was submitted by Julian Erosa. Rodriguez is a fighter that has shown spectacular grappling defense and scrambling ability in the past but had one minor slip up that the veteran was able to exploit and lock up the choke. Rodriguez looks to bounce back and showcase the high-level potential and talent many believe he had when he came into the UFC.
Earning his contract through the Contender Series this past season, Bashi comes into the UFC as one of the more highly touted prospects. A clean 13-0 record and an ever-improving all-around game makes him a dangerous prospect. He comes from a wrestling background, which usually allows him to control and dictate the pace of fights. Striking is a work in progress, but it’s clear he holds power in his fists.
To me this seems like recency bias as to why C-Rod is such a massive underdog. He is extremely talented and has the scrambling chops to keep Bashi from enjoying a whole lot of control time. At the current price, you’d be insane not to consider Rodriguez especially with the striking advantage he holds.
