Friend becomes hostile this Saturday night (February 13, 2021) when undefeated welterweight champion (UFC) welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defends his title against US top teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 258, which will live on ESPN + pay-per-view (PPV) from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier in the evening, Alexa Grasso tried to draft the return of top prospect Maycee Barber and Bantamweight goal scorers Andre Ewell and Chris Gutierrez at short notice to fill a major-card vacancy.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and that means it’s time to look for gifts. Let’s increase the budget a bit …
What went wrong UFC Vegas 18?
Would you look at it … we are actually on the board! Although I greatly underestimated Seung Woo Choi and Alexander Volkov, Timur Valiev, Lara Procopio and Alexandre Pantoja, they all passed for a lucrative opportunity. Although the exit of Cody Stamann at the last minute sterilized the profit somewhat, I will take what I can get.
UFC 258 chance for the undercard:
Bobby Green (-260) vs. Jim Miller +220)
Rodolfo Vieira (-390) vs. Anthony Hernandez (+320)
Belal Muhammad (-400) vs. Dhiego Lima (+325)
Mallory Martin (-155) teen Polyana Viana (+135)
Ricky Simon (-250) vs Brian Kelleher (+210)
Gabriel Green (-135) vs. Philip Rowe (+115)
Miranda Maverick (-140) vs. Gillian Robertson (+120)
Thoughts: Not the most fertile field I have ever seen, but there is value to be found in Bobby Green, Belal Muhammad and Miranda Maverick.
A sniper with an excellent defensive defense is essentially the ideal archetype to defeat Jim Miller, even with a recent return from the A-10s. Scary because Miller may be from the highest position, he will have all sorts of trouble throwing Green really on the mat and keeping him there, and Green’s box looks more effective than Miller’s Muay Thai at this point. Green’s expansion and fighting should have given him a win against Thiago Moises, and they will actually do it against Miller, so bet accordingly.
I would be very surprised if Belal Muhammad Dhiego Lima does not completely overwhelm. Lima has shown some improvement lately, but Muhammad has the tools to take advantage of the shaky defense and poor wrestling that has cost Lima time and time again. ‘Remember the Name”s victory over Tim Means has proved that he can also handle a height and reach disadvantage, which may severely limit Lima’s victory.
In short, go big about Muhammad.
Analyzing a Gillian Robertson fight can often amount to a Boolean comparison. If she can hit removals reliably, she wins. If she can not, she loses. Maverick, a power wrestler who apparently grew out of her early career with defense, is far more effective than ‘The Savage’ and is a figure to say that it is a reliable investment.
Just to ease the FOMO I got by not recommending the bets on Julianna Pena and Clay Guida, Gabe Green is also trying a bit. Philip Rowe is a severely flawed fighter, and while the same can be said about Green, ‘Gifted’ has the volume and power to ruthlessly exploit Rowe’s defensive lapses.
UFC 258 chances for the main card:
Kamaru Usman (-280) vs. Gilbert Burns (+240)
Alexa Grasso (-140) teen Maycee Barber (+120)
Kelvin Gastelum (-230) vs. Ian Heinisch (+190)
Chris Gutierrez (-155) vs. Andre Ewell (+125)
Julian Marquez (-165) teen Maki Pitolo (+145)
Thoughts: As someone who loves watching Andre Ewell use his artwork, Chris Gutierrez should benefit even more than -155. “Mr. Highlight” must really dominate another fight in the Octagon. Ewell did indeed deserve the loss against Jonathan Martinez and only made split decisions against the battered skin of Renan Barao and an undersized, under-educated Irwin Rivera. In other words, Gutierrez is going to tear him to pieces on his feet.
UFC 258 Best Bets:
- Parlay – Belal Muhammad and Miranda Maverick: Bet $ 60 to Earn $ 68.40
- Parlay – Bobby Green and Chris Gutierrez: Bet $ 70 to Earn $ 89.60
- Parlay – Belal Muhammad and Gabe Green: Bet $ 50 to Earn $ 59
UFC 258 is not the most stacked PPV ever, but there are some quality donnybrooks here and there. See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 258 fight card here, start with the early ESPN + Prelims matches online, starting at 18:30 ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN /ESPN + at 20:00 ET, before the PPV main card starts at 22:00 ET ESPN + PPV.
To see the latest and greatest UFC 258: news and notes from “Usman vs. Burns,” be sure to check out our extensive event archive. just here.