UFC 288 Sterling vs. Cejudo: Longshot Bets, Picks & Predictions

UFC 288 will get underway this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While this is certainly not the deepest PPV lineup to grace our televisions, there are still some great betting angles to attack throughout the card.

Below, I will walk through my two best longshot prop bets to make for this event. These plays are 0.5 units each, or 0.5% of your betting bankroll.

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• Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
• Jessica Andrade vs. Xiaonan Yan
• Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
• Charles Jourdain vs. Kron Gracie
• UFC 288 Sterling vs. Cejudo: Prop Bets, Picks & Predictions

UFC 288: Best Longshot Bets

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba

To kick off the preliminary card, there is a strawweight bout between the No. 5 contender Marina Rodriguez and No. 9 contender Virna Jandiroba. After flying up the strawweight rankings with four straight wins over four top-12 contenders, a title shot was in reach for Rodriguez until she was knocked out by the No. 3 contender Amanda Lemos in her most recent bout.

However, despite coming off a loss, there are still levels to this sport, and Rodriguez is simply on a higher one than Jandiroba. Despite her ranking in the division, Jandiroba is just 4-3 since joining the UFC and has zero key victories.

While all three of her losses are to legit opponents in Amanda Ribas, Mackenzie Dern, and Carla Esparza, it proves that whenever Jandiroba is actually challenged, she has not been able to get the job done. As a betting underdog in the UFC, she is 0-3.

The reason Rodriguez’s knockout prop is currently at a whopping +500 is because Jandiroba has never been finished inside the distance professionally. With that said, six of Rodriguez’s 16 professional wins have come via knockout, including her win over Ribas.

Pick: Marina Rodriguez via KO/TKO/DQ (+500)

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark

Later on the preliminary card, there is a light heavyweight bout between Kennedy Nzechukwu and Devin Clark. These two guys are going to have polar opposite game plans, with Nzechukwu wishing to keep this fight on the feet while Clark will do anything he can to bring this scrap to the mat.

Boasting an eight-inch reach and five-inch height advantage, it is no wonder why Nzechukwu would want to keep this fight standing with that big of a size advantage. The problem for Clark, and why he is listed as an underdog, is that getting Nzechukwu to the mat is a lot harder said-than-done.

Since joining the UFC, Nzechukwu boasts a tremendous 80% takedown defense. The southpaw possesses devastating power, attaining a knockout in each of his last four wins.

This could be problematic for Clark, who is known to get caught. Of his seven career losses, three have come via knockout.

However, with the give-and-take of Clark shooting for takedowns and Nzechukwu working to keep this fight standing, it is certainly possible that Clark sees the second round. But if he exerts a ton of energy unsuccessfully shooting in the first round, then he may get caught in the second.

Pick: Kennedy Nzechukwu via KO/TKO/DQ in Rd 2 (+650)

Best of luck!

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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.