UFC Raleigh Betting Odds Analysis

This is the second in a series of new articles here on BJPenn.com in 2020 analyzing the betting odds for all UFC events. The second event of the year is UFC Raleigh.

Note: All odds based on current odds at BestFightOdds.com. This article is for entertainment purposes only. Never bet what you can’t afford.

UFC Raleigh Betting Odds

Curtis Blaydes -250
Junior dos Santos +210

Rafael dos Anjos -270
Michael Chiesa +230

Alex Perez -260
Jordan Espinosa +220

Arnold Allen -300
Nik Lentz +250

Angela Hill -170
Hannah Cifers +150

Jamahal Hill -125
Darko Stosic +105

Bevon Lewis -450
Dequan Townsend +360

Lucie Pudilova -165
Justine Kish +145

Tony Gravely -120
Brett Johns +100

Montel Jackson -700
Felipe Colares +500

Nate Landwehr -125
Herbert Burns +125

Sara McMann -150
Lina Lansberg +130

Here is my UFC Raleigh betting odds analysis:

• The main event features two of the best heavyweights in the UFC going at it with the winner getting closer to a title shot. Blaydes is coming off of back-to-back wins over Shamil Abdurakhimov and Justin Willis to bounce back from a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. JDS, meanwhile, lost to Ngannou in his last fight to snap a three-fight win streak. JDS has big punching power and is always a threat to get the knockout, but Blaydes has a huge wrestling advantage and has excellent cardio for a big man as well. I believe Blaydes will win this fight via ground-and-pound TKO. I don’t love the odds though. There are lots of upsets in heavyweight fights so tread carefully here.
• The co-main event is an intriguing welterweight bout between RDA and Chiesa. RDA has lost three of his last four fights, but the losses were against Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, and Leon Edwards, with the win coming against Kevin Lee. He’s been fighting elite competition, and although he’s been losing, at least he’s been going the distance and not getting finished. Chiesa, on the other hand, has defeated Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez since moving up to 170lbs. He looked dominant in both of those fights, but both of his opponents are getting long in the tooth. I haven’t seen enough from Chiesa to know that he can beat RDA. Once again, I don’t love the odds here, but I do believe RDA will be the more well-rounded fighter and probably end up winning a decision here.
• The biggest favorite on the card is Jackson over Colares. I know Jackson is coming off of two straight wins, but I’m not sure why he deserves to be such a massive favorite over Colares, who is coming off of an upset win over Domingo Pilarte. We saw last week with Maycee Barber that it’s never a good idea to bet on a massive favorite, so be careful.
• Taking a look at some of the underdogs that I like, I believe both Johns and Lansberg have good chances to win their fights. Johns has far more UFC experience than Gravely while Lansberg has been far more active than McMann. If you’re looking for underdogs on the card to bet on, give Johns and Lansberg looks as I favor both of them to win.

Who are your best bets for UFC Raleigh?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/23/2020.