UFC 279 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Best Long Shot Bets (2022)
UFC 279 is set to get underway this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card features plenty of big names, including Li Jingliang, Tony Ferguson, and Kevin Holland.
Capping off the night is a welterweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz, an event in which we will see a likely future champion and the last scrap of Diaz’s career under the UFC umbrella.
Below, I will walk through my two best longshot prop bets to make for this card. These plays are one unit each, or 1% of your betting bankroll.
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Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Chad Anheliger vs. Heili Alateng
In the early prelims, we have a bantamweight bout between Chad Anheliger and Heili Alateng. A Dana White Conteder Series alum, Anheliger will look to grab his third straight in under the UFC umbrella.
In fact, Anheliger is riding a professional 10-fight win streak, a trend I expect to continue in this scrap. His power was on full display in his latest win over Jesse Strader, knocking him down with a vicious left-hand and landing 20ish straight shots in a brilliant display of ground and pound.
Half of Anheliger’s wins during this streak have come via knockout, something we could see happen once again against Heili Alateng. Of Alateng’s eight professional losses, four have been inside the distance.
This matchup should stay on the fight as both guys prefer to strike. Given that, Anheliger should carry an advantage as he throws at a much higher volume with much more accuracy.
At 13/2, Anheliger is certainly worthy of a shot to knock out Alateng.
Pick: Chad Anheliger to Win via KO/TKO/DQ (+650)
Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse
We are also looking another fight in the early prelims: Darian Weeks vs Yohan Lainesse. This welterweight bout should start the night off strong as these are two very capable fighters.
Weeks opened up as a -135 favorite and has since been bet slightly down to -125. Despite this line movement, I still like Weeks to take care of business on Saturday.
The likely reason for this line movement is Weeks’ 0-2 start in the UFC. However, he was immediately fed to the wolves as his first loss was to Bryan Barberena and his second was to highly touted prospect Ian Garry.
Both of those fights went the distance as Weeks is not afraid to mix in some grappling with his striking. We saw this in his loss to Barberena when he took him down four times and in his loss to Garry, who he took down once.
Meanwhile, Lainesse is 1-1 since he made his debut on Dana White’s Contender Series. While neither of those fights went the distance, he has not faced someone who will be looking for takedowns yet.
We are buying low on Weeks, and I think this step down in competition is exactly what he needs to grab a dominating win.
Pick: Darian Weeks to Win via Unanimous Decision (+400)
Best of luck!
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