On the heels of a highly entertaining UFC 258, the UFC betting online is getting ready for an even bigger UFC 259. As the first of two massive pay-per-view events in March, the main card is highlighted by five juicy fights, three of which are title matchups. As always, we've got your UFC 259 picks ready to rock and roll.
Here are the latest UFC 259 betting odds, courtesy of Bovada:
| Favorite |  | | Underdog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Israel Adesanya | -270 | +210 | Jan Blachowicz |
| Amanda Nunes | -1200 | +700 | Megan Anderson |
| Petr Yan | -145 | +115 | Aljamain Sterling |
| Islam Makhachev | -340 | +260 | Drew Dober |
| Aleksandar Rakic | -170 | +140 | Thiago Santos |
Make sure you're double-checking these UFC 259 betting lines before deciding on a wager. They will move between now and the opening bell. We also recommend poking around the odds on the top UFC betting apps. You'll sometimes spot different lines and specials.
UFC 259 Picks
The most important UFC 259 matchup is between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya since it will decide who leaves with the light heavyweight title. Prior to them squaring off in the Octagon, there will be two more title bouts. The first features Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling and will determine the bantamweight title. The second is for the featherweight title, and it will be between Amanda Nunes and Meg Anderson.
We'll start with our picks for all these title fights and then move into the remaining two battles on the five-fight main card.
Israel Adesanya (-270) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+210)
Color us surprised that Adesanya isn't a heavier favorite. These odds probably say something about the amount of action being invested in Blachowicz. Long-shot betters love their lucrative underdogs.
But that doesn't change the fact that this should be an open-and-shut fight.
Adesanya is by far the more agile and powerful martial artist. He's landing roughly 4.1 strikes per minute for his career. Blachowicz's takedown defense is also poor, and while Adesanya doesn't often go for the takedown, that still matters.
The current light-heavyweight champion has a perfect 20-0 record for his UFC career. His first loss isn't coming now.
OSB Prediction: Israel Adesanya (-270)
Amanda Nunes (-1200) vs. Megan Anderson (+700)
Good luck to Anderson in this battle. She's going to need it.
Nunes isn't just a heavy favorite. She's a sure thing. His combination of power and accuracy is unmatched relative to every other UFC fighter right now. She's landing more than 50 percent of strikes, and she averages nearly 4.5 per minute.
Anderson does have some nice defense to her repertoire, but it won't be enough to slow down one of UFC's most dominant stars.
OSB Prediction: Amanda Nunes (-1200)
Petr Yan (-145) vs. Aljamain Sterling (+115)
Forgive us for leaning so heavily on favorites thus far, but these title matches don't figure to go well for the challengers.
Sterling is a quality enough fighter. He lands more than 4.8 strikes per minute and is an aggressive wrestler. But this shouldn't be confused with a good wrestler. His mechanics on takedowns can be sloppy and incomplete.
What's more, Petr Yan's speed is largely unprecedented. The 5'7" switch-stance fighter has a 6'7" reach and knows how to use it. He's landing roughly 6.3 strikes per minute. He's not the most powerful puncher, but you don't need explosion when you pack that kind of accuracy.
Furthermore, Yan's defense is officially underrated. He prevents 88 percent of his opponents' takedown attempts. This fight should be more one-sided than the odds suggest.
OSB Prediction: Petr Yan (-145)
Islam Makhachev (-340) vs. Drew Dober (+260)
Truth be told, we're not sure whether we like Islam Makhachev's style as it stacks up against Drew Dober.
Makhachev relies on his ability to get close and complete takedowns while preventing his opponents from doing the same on offense. Dober is uniquely built to thwart that approach. He isn't the most accurate striker—he posts a 40 percent accuracy clip—but he throws enough of them that he will land some. As it stands, he is getting in more than 4.4 strikes per minute.
We're stepping out on a limb here, and we don't advise using this line as part of a parlay. But we're rolling with the underdog.
OSB Prediction: Drew Dober (+260)
Aleksandar Rakic (-170) vs. Thiago Santos (+140)
The matchup between Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos projects to be a pretty even one. Both are conservative fighters who won't risk positioning too often by going for the submission. They're both also about average when it comes to landing strikes.
Aggression figures to be the difference in this situation. That forces us to give the edge to Rakic. His percentage on takedowns is regrettable (sub-30 percent), but he attempts and completes more of them than Santos, who isn't very adept at preventing them.
OSB Prediction; Aleksander Rakic (-170)
UFC 259 Parlay Picks
Our parlay recommendation this time around will include four moneyline wagers. We're leaving out our underdog pick because we're not ultra-confident in Dober pulling out the win.
The bet slip looks like this:
- Adesanya (-270)
- Nunes (-1200)
- Yan (-145)
- Rakic (-170)
This parlay is paying out roughly 4-to-1. For every $100 you're willing to put on the line, you stand to take home a little over $398—more than $298 of which would be pure profit.
Check out this list of the best online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all your UFC betting:
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