The Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed back to Melbourne, Australia and the Marvel Stadium for UFC 243 this Saturday night. It\u2019s a card that\u2019s loaded with fighters from Oceania, including one of the headliners, Robert Whittaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an event that could attract the largest live audience in the history of the promotion, UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon to take on the interim champion Israel Adesanya in one of the biggest fights of the year. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the card and find three good bets for Saturday\u2019s action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adesanya has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC. While he was a well-kept secret for a while, he\u2019s not under-the-radar anymore. We can see that in the line movement as he opened as a +110 dog at BetOnline but now he is listed as the slight favorite to win it at -116 odds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite a perfect 17-0 record, Adesanya could be in tough against the most talented opponent he has ever faced. Whittaker has been an underdog in five of his nine middleweight bouts and yet he has won all of them. The challenge for him here is that he hasn\u2019t fought since July of 2018. He was supposed to fight at UFC 234 in February but pulled out at the very last minute when he needed dual surgery on his abdominal hernia and collapsed bowel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s obviously back and is healthy enough to fight, but this is a pretty tough test for him after nearly 18 months off. Look for Adesanya to continue his meteoric rise and preserve his perfect record in this bout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The co-main event of the night provides us with another excellent opportunity to cash in. A native of New Zealand, Hooker is coming off a knockout win over James Vick in his last outing. He\u2019s ended three of his last four fights via knockout. While Hooker is the favorite for a reason, the oddsmakers might be underestimating what Iaquinta is capable of accomplishing. The 32-year-old has lost two of his last three bouts, including a decision to Donald Cerrone in his last tilt. However, Iaquinta has been impressive in losses as well as he went the full five rounds against UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a loss at UFC 223 before leaving his fight against Cerrone to a judge\u2019s decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iaquinta is more than capable of going the distance with Hooker in this one. At +145, he\u2019s an attractive play as a dog. I see this bout as about a coin toss but the odds don\u2019t indicate that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of these competitors have an excellent chance to make a statement in this matchup and the odds tell us that. This is basically a PICK. However, there is also a very good chance that this fight doesn\u2019t go the distance. After all, Tafa and De Castro are both known for their punching power and they have no issues going punch-for-punch inside the Octagon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tafa has just three pro fights under his belt but each of those fights ended when he knocked out his opponent. De Castro is virtually in the same boat as he\u2019s 5-0 so far but four of his five fights have ended early with three of those five fights not even requiring the second round. I\u2019d bet the prop that this fight doesn\u2019t go the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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