UFC 276 -- Expert picks and best bets for Adesanya-Cannonier, Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3
In what could end up being the most stacked card of the year, two champions and a slew of rising stars in the promotion will take center stage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV).
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya goes for his sixth straight title defense in the main event against No. 1 contender Jared Cannonier. Cannonier enters the fight following a Performance of the Night KO win over Derek Brunson. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski puts his title on the line against Max Holloway for the third time. After a razor-close decision loss in the second fight, Holloway will go for, what is likely, his final shot at Volkanovski for the belt.
Rising prospect Sean O'Malley takes on Pedro Munhoz to open the main card. O'Malley enters his fight with finishes against all three of his past opponents, while Munhoz is trying to avoid a three-fight losing streak.
Where is the betting value? Will the favorites prevail? Veteran MMA coaches Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture MMA and Tyson Chartier of New England Cartel break down the two title fights for Marc Raimondi from an inside-the-Octagon perspective, while experts Ian Parker and Reed Kuhn analyze the card from a betting viewpoint.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
How Adesanya wins: He has to use his length and distance management to avoid a firefight with Cannonier. I think that's where Cannonier is going to be dangerous. Izzy's movements and feints are going to be his biggest key. The feint game for him, I think, is going to draw out a lot of the power of Cannonier. Make Cannonier miss big, then slip and move and use his footwork to counter off that.
How Cannonier wins: I don't want to say he has to be