Fresh on the heels of UFC 308, UFC Edmonton takes place this Saturday with a double-header of 125-pound action. In the co-main event, Erin Blanchfield takes on Rose Namajunas in a five-round women’s flyweight contest, while in the main event former men’s flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returns to action against Amir Albazi.

On top of those matchups, there are 12 more fights on Saturday night, so let’s dive right into the breakdowns.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Single Plays

Brandon Moreno (-172)

Money has been coming in on Moreno all week and frankly, I see why. Though Moreno is currently on a two-fight losing streak, both were split decisions that many people believe he got a bad deal on. In a different universe, Moreno could easily still be the flyweight champion.

On the other side of things, Albazi has been out of action for nearly 18 months and Moreno is by far the best opponent he’s ever faced. Moreno is going to keep a high work rate, scramble out of takedowns, and put Albazi to a test he’s never seen. Ultimately, I think Albazi is a good but not great fighter, and so I like a bet on Moreno.

Erin Blanchfield (-140)

It’s no secret that I’ve been extremely high on Blanchfield since she joined the UFC, and even after suffering her first UFC defeat earlier this year, I’m still high on her.

Simply put, Blanchfield is very young and very raw, but she’s climbed as high as she has do to sheer physicality. Against a hoss like Manon Fiorot, Blanchfield finally found the limits of that physicality, but Namajunas is another kettle of fish. The former strawweight champion is obviously extremely skilled, but she’s undersized in this weight class and has never been a strong wrestler. I expect Blanchfield to have an easy time of things.

Pedro Munhoz (-102)

There are bets I like and then there are bets I like. This is the latter.

Munhoz takes on Aiemann Zahabi on the prelims this weekend and I think this is a y’all must’ve forgot moment. Sure Munhoz has only won two of his past nine fights, but look at the level of competition? Almost everyone Munhoz lost to is an elite fighter who either held a belt or fought for one. And while Munhoz lost, he was very competitive in those losses.

Now Munhoz gets Zahabi who is a big step back in competition, and who, frankly, I’ve never been sold on. Munhoz is going to outwork Zahabi in every phase on Saturday and so I love this action.

Jack Shore (+215)

Speaking of y’all must’ve forgot, where did the Jack Shore love go? Shore faces Youssef Zalal on the prelims and he’s one of the bigger underdogs on the card?

Sure, Shore lost two of his previous three fights, but the most recent one was not his fault; a cavernous gash opened up on his leg and the doctor called the fight. And Shore was competitive with Joanderson Brito before that happened.

Meanwhile, Zalal has already been cut from the UFC once and while he’s been lights out since returning, I’m still not sold on a big ceiling for the kid. His defensive wrestling is too poor and Shore can take advantage.

Prop Bets

Derrick Lewis by KO/TKO (+210)

Come on, y’all! We’re out here to have fun.

Lewis takes on former Glory kickboxer Jhonata Diniz on the main card Saturday and who really knows what to expect from this one. If it stays standing, Diniz certainly has the advantage but the UFC’s all-time leader in knockouts isn’t a pushover on the feet by any means. Moreover, Lewis also has a clear edge if he can get Diniz to the ground, where “The Black Beast” has nasty ground and pound. If this loses I won’t be surprised, but feels worth a stab given the price.

Mike Malott by KO/TKO or Submission (-140)

The last time we saw Malott he was well on his way to a UFC ranking until suffering one of the most stunning collapses I’ve ever witness. After putting the boots to Neil Magny for nearly 14 minutes, Malott simply imploded in the final minute of the bout and Magny pulled off a miracle comeback. Will Malott learn from that disaster? We’re about to find out.

Trevin Giles is a good-but-not-great fighter who is game enough to test Malott but defensively liable enough to get got. In fact, all six of his career losses have been by finish, which lines up nicely against Malott, who has only ever won via finish.

Wrap Up

We broke even at UFC 308 as our belief in the uncrackable chin of Max Holloway proved to be misguided. Hopefully we can do a little better this week as I feel really good about these bets and the lines are pretty tight. I guess we’ll see.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

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A showdown of top-10 welterweights will close out 2024 in the UFC when Ian Machado Garry takes on Joaquin Buckley.

The fight is set to headline the promotion’s final event of the year, UFC on ESPN 63, on Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., the UFC announced Friday on social media.

Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), No. 7 in the official UFC rankings at 170 pounds, will look for his third win of 2024 as he tries to maintain his perfect record. In 2024, Machado Garry has beaten Geoff Neal by split decision at UFC 298 and Michael Page by unanimous decision at UFC 303.

Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s ranked No. 9, will try for his fourth victory of 2024 as he looks to continue climbing the ranks of the division since he moved back down from welterweight in May 2023. Buckley’s wins in 2024 include two longtime staples of the division, Vicente Luque by TKO and most recently a knockout of Stephen Thompson.

With the addition, here’s the current UFC on ESPN 63 lineup:

• Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
• Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick
• Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
• Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
• Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
• Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
• Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
• Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley will battle it out in the final fight of 2024 for the UFC.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Garry and Buckley headline UFC Tampa, which takes place Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena.

Both Garry and Buckley expressed interest in stepping in to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 for the interim welterweight title following Belal Muhammad withdrawing due to a toe infection, but instead the UFC matchmakers have decided to pair up the surging 170-pound contenders.

The undefeated Garry competes for the third time in 2024. “The Future” earned a split decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February, and then handed Michael Page his first promotional defeat at UFC 303 in June. Garry is currently ranked No. 7 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

Buckley, No. 10, is unbeaten since moving down to welterweight, winning all five of his 170-pound octagon appearances. “New Mansa” looks to make it 4-0 in 2024 after stoppage wins over Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque, and a unanimous decision win against Nursulton Ruziboev. The former middleweight makes his 15th UFC appearance.

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