Best Bets For UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz

By BetOnline November 1, 2019

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to make its highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz event this weekend. While there won’t be a title on the line in New York, there is more than enough talent on this card to make it one of the more intriguing lineups of the season including a main event clash that will feature two Top 10 fighters in the welterweight division.

Here is a look at the three best bets for the UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz event.

JORGE MASVIDAL (34-13) VS. NATE DIAZ (20-11)
ODDS: MASVIDAL -155

Following a three-year layoff, Diaz returned to the Octagon with an impressive decision win over Anthony Pettis and then called out Jorge Masvidal right after. Now the two will meet on Saturday in a matchup of two of the toughest guys to do it.

Masvidal is coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Darren Till and Ben Askren. His victory over Askren was easily his most impressive, as it took him just five seconds to knock him out with a flying knee to secure the fastest knockout in UFC history. Diaz won’t be nearly as easy to knock out, which means there is a good chance this fight goes the full three rounds. While Masvidal has impressive knockout power, he has also lost four of his last five fights that have gone three rounds or longer.

With Diaz listed at +135 odds for a tilt in what is mostly a toss-up, I’ll take a shot with the dog here. This should go to the judge’s cards and Diaz’ activity could win the day. He’s going to be chipping away at Masvidal’s stamina with a variety of blows and if the fights get to the ground, he’ll have a sizable edge.

PICK: DIAZ +135

KELVIN GASTELUM (15-4) VS. DARREN TILL (17-2-1)
ODDS: GASTELUN -240

After back-to-back stoppage losses to Masvidal and Tyron Woodley, Till will make his highly anticipated middleweight debut. While a number of welterweights have had success moving up in weight, there are some serious question marks about Till succeeding right away based on his first matchup. Gastelum is coming off a tough loss to Israel Adesanya, but the fact that he went the distance against him in the first place is pretty impressive. Gastelum and Adesanya put on one of the most entertaining fights of the year and Adesanya is one of the brightest stars in the sport right now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that loss. While it provided a setback for Gastelum in the short term, it should only boost his resolve and make him a better fighter in the long run.

Till’s main weakness is his defense and Gastelum is one of the heaviest hitters in this weight class. He has a height and reach edge, but look for Gastelum to close the distance and pick him apart.

PICK: GASTELUM

DERRICK LEWIS (21-7) VS. BLAGOY IVANOV (18-2)
ODDS: IVANOV -120

The lone heavyweight fight on the main card features an intriguing matchup that should provide another opportunity to cash in. Ivanov is listed as a small favorite at -120 after back-to-back wins. However, it’s hard to put much stock in to victories over Ben Rothwell and Tai Tuivasa. Meanwhile, Lewis is a much tougher fighter than both of those opponents. While he is coming off consecutive losses, it’s important to keep in mind he lost to Daniel Cormier and Junior Dos Santos – two pretty decent opponents. In fact, Lewis only got the opportunity to fight Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight championship following three straight wins over Marcin Tybura, Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov.

Ivanonv is a great story as it’s incredible that he’s even alive. He was stabbed in the heard in February of 2017 but not only is he alive, he’s living a good life. He’s never been knocked out, though, and he typically grinds out wins. However, Lewis brings a type of power he hasn’t seen as 18 of his 21 wins are via knockout. At EVEN money on the dog, I’ll take a shot with Lewis here.