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UFC 284 Prelims Preview: Best Bets Odds, Picks & Predictions (2023)

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For the first time since UFC 243, which took place in Melbourne way back in October of 2019, the UFC makes its 16th overall trip to Australia for UFC 284. Two title fights will take place this Saturday, from Perth in Western Australia, as the highlight of the 13-fight UFC 284 PPV (pay-per-view) event.

Alexander Volkanovski, the current UFC Featherweight Champion, and Islam Makhachev, the current UFC Lightweight Champion, square off in the main event. Only seven other times in UFC history have two divisional champions engaged in combat. Volkanovski wants to be the current champion of two divisions, which would make him the fourth person to hold dual championships simultaneously, and the fifth fighter overall.

Before we get to the main event, however, there’s a ton of value in UFC 284‘s undercard for those who dig deep enough. Let’s take a look.

Check out our other UFC 284 betting picks:

Top 3 Prelim Bets for UFC 284

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Shane Young (-125) vs. Blake Bilder (+120)

The Bonfims, Rosas Jr., Marcos, Rebecki, and Pyfer are just a few of the recent DWCS fighters that have already made a name for themselves in the UFC, and I believe Bilder will follow in their footsteps. As is the case with all fighters making their UFC debuts, Bilder’s official statistics are meaningless because they are based on a round one (submission) victory over Alex Morgan in DWCS in August.

Young, who debuted in the UFC in 2017 against Volkanovski, has a mere 2-3 record with the organization, with both of his victories coming over opponents who, at the time, had a combined record of 25-14. He’s very much in danger of losing his third consecutive bout because Bilder is a fighter with his kryptonite, the ground game, and his UFC future is probably on the line.

I believe that Bilder, a future star for the UFC, will give Young his final UFC loss in this fight.

Bet: Blake Bilder (+120 via DraftKings)

Loma Lookboonmee (-250) vs. Elise Reed (+210)

Loma stands out in the data for me since she has large advantages in striking (2x) and takedown average (2x). I placed more weight on the statistics than I would have normally because both fighters had competed in 4+ UFC fights against opponents of around the same caliber.

Although her height (5’1″) has always bothered me, she matches up against Reed, who is only 2″ taller, therefore negating any potential benefit. Loma should be able to pick her places in this battle because she is unquestionably the best Muay Thai fighter at strawweight.

Loma also has an advantage on the ground when it comes to takedowns, scoring, and takedown defense, with a margin of approximately +25%.

Bet: Lookboonmee by Decision (-160 via DraftKings)

Tyson Pedro (-240) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (+200)

Pedro most recently fought against Harry Hunsucker and Ike Villanueva, two of the worst light heavyweights in the UFC, winning both of his battles in 2022 through first-round KO/TKO.

Even so, the victories continued his trend of first-round finishes in all nine of his professional victories-only one of his fights went the distance.

Bukauskas isn’t technically making his UFC debut; from 2020 to 2021, he went 1-3 with the organization before returning to Cage Warriors and winning twice in 2022. Bukauskas, like Pedro, has a penchant for retiring early; three of his four UFC fights have been decided in the first two rounds.

Bet: Under 2.5 (-160 via DraftKings)

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Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his free UFC picks newsletter and follow him @JohnnyCovers.

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