UFC 299 Predictions and Betting Tips: Best bets for main card in Miami

UFC 299 flies into Miami this weekend with a stellar card that sees Sean O’Malley make the first defense of his Bantamweight title with a rematch against Chito Vera.

In the co-main event Dustin Poirier faces off against French wrecking machine Benoit Saint Denis in what looks set to be an all-out war.

The card is jam packed from top to bottom and the UFC debut of Michael “Venom” Page is an eye-catching addition to the main card as he faces Kevin Holland.

Main Card

• Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera –UFC Bantamweight title
• Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis
• Michael Page vs. Kevin Holland
• Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
• Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong

Dustin Poirier makes his 30th UFC walk this weekend as the only current lightweight who has been ranked consistently in the division for eight straight years. The number-three ranked 35-year-old has seen and done everything in the division except win a title.

The Diamond has 21 UFC wins to his name, 10 of which have come by KO with victims including Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje in the pair's first meeting.

However, last time out we saw Poirier KO’d by Gaethje with a second-round head kick in their BMF title fight at UFC 291 in July. Poirier’s other most recent defeats have come via submission at the hands of Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov in his only shots at UFC gold.

Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis is a wrecking machine. The 28-year-old's spectacular head-kick KO of Matt Frevola at UFC 295 in November added to his now five-fight win streak at Lightweight, with two other KO’s and two submissions on his record inside the Octagon. 

However, Saint Denis is still ranked only 12th in the division, so this represents quite a leap to take on someone with the experience of Poirier.

There is no doubt both men possess knockout power and will keep coming forward. Poirier wanted the five rounds here to drag Saint Denis into uncharted territory and it genuinely feels like a fight which could see a knockout in any round. Backing the fight to end in KO/TKO feels like a great way to get some value and sit back and watch the carnage unfold.

Michael Page’s move into the UFC has been anticipated and talked about for some time. Venom is an unconventional, attractive striker with a KO highlight reel that any fighter would envy. However, at almost 37 years old the question is, is it too late?

Coming over from Bellator, Page is matched up against Kevin Holland, whose ranking of 13 in the division makes him the perfect opponent for Page to showcase his skills.

Holland has lost three of his last five fights. In recent defeats against elite strikers such as Jack Della Maddalena and Stephen Thompson, Holland has left himself open to be hit a lot, which looks perfect matchmaking for Page to do some damage.

Of course, we can question Page’s record in Bellator (17-2) and the calibre of opponents he has been coming up against. However, there are good wins on his record against Douglas Lima and Paul Daley and a 59% KO rate makes him extremely dangerous against the right opponent.

The UFC know that if Page can put two or three wins together they can potentially make a huge all-UK title fight with Leon Edwards, so this striking- friendly matchup against Holland feels like the perfect first step. As an underdog in the market, Page is more than worth a punt.