UFC Betting Preview: Moreno Needs to Prove He Still Has Something Left

Flirting with retirement is typically not a good sign for any fighter. It may not be a lack of desire that forces any athlete to consider retirement. In Brandon Moreno’s case, he decided he wanted to step away after a pair of consecutive split-decision losses.

But after telling everyone seven months ago that he was taking some time off, Moreno is set to headline a UFC Fight Night card this weekend against Amir Albazi. Albazi is dangerous because he is the No. 3 ranked fighter in the division and hasn’t yet picked up the win that has made him a clear title challenger.

Albazi’s lack of standing was clear when the UFC recently brought in a fighter from Japan, Kai Asakura, who is making his promotional debut, to challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the crown. The top two ranked contenders, Moreno and Brandon Royval have already failed to take the belt from Pantoja, according to MMAfighting latest news.

Moreno’s problem during his last two fights was that his style didn’t appeal to the judges. Alabazi recently won a split decision against Kai Kara-France, a fighter that Moreno had already defeated. But does Moreno still have that burning desire to fight? I’m not sure. But I’m also not willing to bet on him losing to an unproven, though highly dangerous, contender.

Bets to consider: Moreno by decision, Moreno ML

Blanchfield Set for Career-Defining Bout

Erin Blanchfield wouldn’t suffer greatly from a loss to former champion Rose Namajunas. But Blanchfield also doesn’t want to see any of the shine slip away from her reputation following a last-minute loss to Manon Fiorot. Beating Namajunas would be another feather in her cap.

Namajunas, the former strawweight champion, has come up a weight class to try and get her career back on track. While there was a time when Namajunas was known for her excellent striking and finishing potential, that has faded over recent years. Namajunas has been stuck in a rut.

While Namajunas has won fights at flyweight, many were seen as boring. The MMA latest updates show that Namajunas could use a flashy finish to restore her reputation. This fight is scheduled for five rounds.

Hopefully, Blanchfield’s wrestling or Namjunas’ power can prevent this from going all 25 minutes.

Bets to consider: Blanchfield ML, Under 4.5 rounds (+195)

Black Beast Fights a Kickboxer

There was a time when Derrick Lewis was the king of the UFC’s Fight Night cards. Lewis, 39, has terrifying power that can stop any opponent. But anyone looking at MMA breaking news will see Lewis can be susceptible to fighting strong wrestlers. Lewis won’t have to worry about that when he fights Jhonata Diniz. Diniz comes from a kickboxing background and has struggled with wrestlers in the UFC. While Diniz is still undefeated, he was taken down early in his UFC debut against Austin Lane in April.

This matchup was put together with the idea that one man would be hitting the canvas, preferably in the first round. Lewis is a veteran and a live dog. Diniz is dangerous, but Lewis will show there are levels to this game.

Bets to consider: Lewis by KO/TKO/DQ, Under 1.5 rounds, Lewis ML

Powerbar Will Need Some Serious Help

Marc-Andre Barriault has hit a rough patch in his UFC career. The 34-year-old Canadian fighter is coming into this weekend on the back of consecutive losses, including a nasty KO defeat to Joe Pyfer during his last bout. Barriault has ten knockout wins in his career, including one over Julian Marquez in 2023.

Barriault will need to lean on that power against Dustin Stoltzfus this weekend. Stoltzfus has been knocked out twice himself but is capable of standing and trading with many of the strongest fighters in his division. Stoltzfus just may be beyond his expiration date as a potential contender for the division.

Stoltzfus has lost five of his previous seven fights. Bouncing back from a spinning elbow KO defeat in his last fight will be tough for Stoltzfus to get over.

Bets to consider: Barriault ML, Under 2.5 rounds

Is Canadian Pride at Stake?

This is the first time the UFC has been back in Edmonton since 2019. With how the Canadian men’s fighters performed during an event hosted in Toronto earlier in 2024, there was a lot of angst about what potential prospects lay on the horizon. Welterweight Mike Malott had the most difficult performance at UFC 297 in Toronto.

Malott, who was 10-1 entering his fight with noted gatekeeper Neil Magny, was expected to walk through his veteran opponent. But that isn’t what happened. While Malott peppered Magny for the first two rounds, Malott ran out of steam in the third round.

Magny took that advantage and used it to score a TKO win over the tired Malott. Did Mallott learn his lesson about cardio? We will find out when he takes on Trevin Giles this weekend.

Giles has been finished in four of his last six fights. Now, Giles has faced tough competition, including current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, but the pressure will be on Malott to win in his home country.

This feels like the kind of fight where Malott will know what is at stake and be motivated to grab a win.

Bets to consider: Malott by KO, Under 2.5 rounds.

Here are odds for the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above:

Light heavyweight, Caio Machado (-162) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (+136)

Bantamweight, Aiemann Zahabi (-115) vs. Pedro Munhoz (-105)

Bantamweight, Charles Jourdain (-125) vs. Victor Henry (+105)

Featherweight, Youssef Zalal (-258) vs. Jack Shore (+210)

Heavyweight, Alexandr Romanov (-108) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (-112)

Bantamweight, Garrett Armfield (+124) vs. Sehiy Sidey (-148)

Bantamweight, Cody Gibson (-198) vs. Chad Anheliger (+164)

Women’s flyweight, Jamey-Lyn Horth (-225) vs. Ivana Petrovic (+185)

Women’s flyweight, Ariane Lipski (+190) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (-230)

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.