UFC 276 Odds: 12/1 treble for this stacked Vegas card

UFC276 takes places this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and we've asked our in-house MMA maestro Ste Mcquillan to preview it and pick out tips for the three of the big fights on the main card.

Now the term ‘Stacked’ for UFC cards gets thrown around a bit too much, but this time, for UFC 276, I think stacked might even be an understatement. This is easily the best card the UFC have ever put on in my opinion, every fight on the card looks to be an absolute banger and could honestly go either way. I’ll just start by listing the main card…

• Israel Adesanya (C) vs Jared Cannonier
• Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Max Holloway
• Sean Strickland vs Alex Pereira 
• Robbie Lawler vs Bryan Barbenera
• Pedro Munhoz vs Sean O’Malley

And that’s not to mention fighters like Donald Cerrone, Ian Garry, Uriah Hall, Jim Miller and Brad Ridell on the prelims. This card is absurdly good. And what better way to enjoy the fights than to have a little punt on them? Well, we’ve looked through the card to find some of what we feel to be the best value bets for the action so why not get right into it?

Let’s start with the main event, shall we? Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier for Middleweight gold - this fight is going to be explosive! Here we have two exceptional strikers with frightening knockout power. Adesanya is like a long-ranged sniper when it comes to his stand-up ability, constantly maintaining distance and picking his opponents off with his perfect accuracy, on the other hand, Jared Cannonier possesses that brutal one-punch knockout power. It’s not to say that Izzy doesn’t have that power, it’s just that Cannonier is a much bigger guy in terms of build resulting in his punches being a lot more explosive. Cannonier actually used to fight at heavyweight in the UFC and then at light-heavyweight and now he’s found a home at middleweight, so you can sort of see what I’m on about with the power. 

These guys both boast an incredible knockout record with both of them nearly identical at 67% and 68% knockout ratios, it rarely goes the distance and neither are a fan of bringing it to the ground and trying for a submission. This is also a five-round bout instead of the standard three rounds due to it being a main event fight. I think you can guess what I was going to back here and if you said "the fight to end via KO/TKO" then fair play to you because you're spot on. I just don't see how this goes all five rounds, yes both of them are comfortable going the distance due to their impressive cardio, but both  are always on the hunt for that highlight-reel finish. They'll be seeking that opportunity to finish the fight early and whilst I wouldn't be surprised to see Adesanya finish this fight with ease, you have to respect the striking of the challenger. Either way this is going to be a stunning main event, and the fight to end via KO/TKO at EVS is our first bet for the event.

Next up we've got to talk about the co-main, a fight that could easily be the main event and finish the card and I'd be happy with it. The trilogy fight between Volkanovski and Holloway is a fight that UFC fans have been eagerly awaiting since the controversial decision in the last fight, where the Australian had his hand raised when many were confident in a victory for Holloway. 

This fight simply needed to happen, and thank god it is. Both of the previous fights have been incredibly close and have given us some explosive moments, and it's going to be an absolute treat to witness again. The odds have got me a bit confused with Holloway being a 6/4 underdog. I think this is mainly because Volkanovski "won" the last fight and it's 2-0 in their head to head match up. I think this is personally a 50/50 fight and I might even give Holloway the edge slightly just because he never seems to put in a bad performance. Holloway is still young in the sport which is crazy to say, considering how long he's been around and the people he's beaten. I really do think this is the fight where Holloway reclaims the title, and as a 6/4 underdog, it is simply too attractive of a price. 

It's not to say that this is going to be easy for Holloway, but I think the last fight was clearly a win for Holloway and if he had got the decision he deserved, he wouldn't be coming in here as the betting underdog. Stylistically, I think Holloway is a bad matchup for Volk, he will not get knocked out and the Champ doesn't have the ground game to wrestle with Max. I think Holloway can easily outstrike him in every round and maybe even look for the finish. The challenger landed two knock-downs in their last fight (makes it even stranger he didn't get the decision win) and I can see him landing at will again. 6/4 for the win is just too good a bet to pass up on.

The final pick I want to add to the treble is Sean O'Malley to win via TKO/KO against Pedro Munhoz. Sean comes in as a 2/7 favourite and rightfully so. Pedro has lost four of his last five fights and this time it's going to be no different. Suga is an absolute killer on the feet, he might not be able to wrestle but he is one of the cleanest strikers in the UFC. Adding to that he is absolutely massive compared to Pedro. Sean will pick him off and I don't think Munhoz will be able to take the power that Sean delivers. Like I said he rightfully is a 2/7 shot considering O'Malley is basically undefeated (his only loss coming by way of leg injury during a fight), I don't see how he loses, and considering he has finished 73% of his fights via KO/TKO, I think 6/4 for Sean O'Malley to win by way of knockout is a stunning bet. There's not much to say about this one in all honesty, the value is just there. You have an aging fighter who has lost 80% of his last five fights, and one up-and-comer who knocks out most of his opponents. I think it's a no-brainer. 

Combining all three tips into a treble pays around 12/1, a pretty solid accumulator if you ask me. The best we can do is just hope for some winners and the card to deliver. I'm fairly confident in both.