The Price is Right with UFC 302 Prelims

UFC 302 has four great prelim fights, kicking off with Niko Price vs Alex Morono. We believe Makhachev vs Poirier UFC prelims has excellent value available, and it doesn’t get much bigger than the PPV card.

The UFC schedule is exciting for UFC 302, and the best value comes in the opening fight of the prelim card.

Price Shouldn’t Be Overlooked at +195

Niko Price is one of the most skilled fighters in the welterweight division. But he has seven losses because he throws caution into the wind. The 34-year-old comes off a loss to Robbie Lawler, which lasted only 38 seconds. That was a terrible performance against an aging star, so the pressure is on Price to perform against Morono.

However, despite having not won since 2021, we can’t overlook his earlier UFC results. He has wins over Alex Oliveira, James Vick, and Tim Means. His losses have come against some of the best in the division, and we don’t rate Morono on that level.

Morono comes off a win over Court McGee. But he was also beaten by Joaquin Buckley in October. Much like Price, he’s good on his day, but not consistent. However, Morono has a -250 chance with betting markets. That’s too short, so we’re backing Price to turn back time and cash in at generous odds.

Back Price at +200 to kick start the Makhachev vs Poirier UFC prelims in style.

Almeida to Edge Kopylov in Middleweight Bout

There isn’t much between Cesar Almeida and Roman Kopylov in UFC betting markets, and a close fight is expected. UFC this weekend is packed full of must-see fights, including the featured fight with Makhachev vs Poirier UFC prelims.

Almeida is 5-0 and 1-0 in the UFC after knocking out Dylan Budka in the second round in April. That was an exciting performance for the 36-year-old, who is making up for lost time. The former Superkombat champion is the -120 favorite to beat Kopylov, who is a dangerous fighter at even odds (+100).

The Russian lost to Anthony Hernandez at UFC 298, but that followed three consecutive wins by knockout in 2023. He knocked out Punahele Soriano, Claudio Ribeiro, and Josh Fremd, so Almeida needs to watch out for his big punch.

Based on pure power, we’re backing Almeida to remain unbeaten, but it all depends on who lands the first punch to the chin.

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— UFC (@ufc) May 29, 2024

Short Odds for Dawson to Beat Solecki

Grant Dawson is one of the more feared fighters in the lightweight division, and his record speaks for itself. The 20-2-1 fighter lost in 33 seconds to Bobby Green in October. But he has been given time to recover from that shock loss. He looked much better when beating the likes of Mark Madsen, Jared Gordon, and Damir Ismagulov.

Joe Solecki shouldn’t give him too many problems as a 13-4 fighter, hence the -500 odds for Dawson to get back to his best. The underdog scored a submission win against Carl Deaton last year before losing to Drakkar Klose by first-round knockout. He also needs to bounce back, but we can’t see that happening for the +365 underdog.

Bettors should include Dawson in UFC parlays in the short quote.

D-Day for Matthews vs Rowe

Australia’s Jake Matthews hasn’t been the most consistent UFC fighter over the last few years, and he desperately needs a win on Saturday. The 29-year-old was beaten by Michael Morales last year. With two losses from his last four fights, rising the rankings has been hard.

Matthews lost to Matthew Semelsberger in 2022, which threatened to derail his career. He can’t have losses like that on his record, so beating Philip Rowe is a must.

Having converted to Islam has helped his mentality, according to Matthews.

“I was pretty well aligned with the ethics and morals of Islam for many years,” Matthews said. “It was a natural progression.

“I told my mates this is what I wanted to do, and they didn’t realize I was one hundred percent serious, but they didn’t know I was on a journey of learning about it for over a year and a half.”

Rowe is 10-4 and the +135 underdog. He has a big height and reach advantage over Matthews, but he’s not as highly respected in the division, despite owning wins over Niko Price and Jason Witt. The American has a power advantage over Matthews. But if he gets taken down by the Australian, it’s all over.

We’re not prepared to take that risk, so we’re backing Matthews to win at -165.

For UFC betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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