How To Bet on UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III

The trilogy between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier headlines UFC 252 in Las Vegas. We have an in-depth betting preview of that title match, along with other main card bouts. You'll want to read this before making a single wager on the event!

We're just days away from UFC 252, which takes place on August 15. Here are the UFC betting odds currently available at Bovada for the main card fights:

Fighter #1			Fighter #2
Stipe Miocic	-110	-120	Daniel Cormier
Sean O'Malley	-315	+245	Marlon Vera
Junior dos Santo	+130	-160	Jairzinho Rozenstruik
John Dodson	+160	-200	Merab Dvalishvili

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Greatest Heavyweight Of All Time?

When Miocic and Cormier meet in the middle of the octagon for the third time, it won't just be the UFC heavyweight championship that's up for grabs. No, these two will effectively be fighting for the right to be called the best ever in this storied weight class.

Here are both their resumes: the reigning champion, Miocic, is 19-3 all-time. It's his second title run, but during his first, he successfully defended the gold three times — a UFC heavyweight record. Miocic has 15 knockout victories to his name.

In the other corner, Cormier has won three heavyweight titles in three separates promotions — the UFC (also won the light heavyweight championship), Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He's accumulated a 22-2-1 mark whilst fighting. At 41 years old, this could very well be Cormier's last go.

Our money is that the rubber match ends like the first two bouts, by knockout. If there's a prop bet to make here, its the method of victory is KO. As a refresher, Cormier landed a devasting elbow knockout in the opening round to win the first bout. Miocic answered back with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch almost a year ago.

Both fighters are a year older now and neither has fought since that rematch. Eye surgery kept Miocic on the sidelines, while Cormier toyed with retirement. Throw in the COVID effect and there's a lot of ring rust between both. That leads us to believe a knockout finish is imminent so don't let that prop wager slip.

As for who will be dishing that knockout, we're picking Cormier. Look, he was completely dominating the rematch until Miocic started landing body blows mid-fight. Cormier had no answer and caved. But you better believe a student of the game like Cormier is, he's patched up that weakness.

It'll be a rock-em-sock-em-robots fight, but Cormier drops Miocic in the end. With that victory, Cormier has a strong case as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in UFC history.

Betting pick to make: Daniel Cormier (-120)

O'Malley Is The Staggering Favorite In Semi-Main Event

Bantamweight "Suga" Sean O'Malley has all the makings of UFC's next big superstar. Only 25 years young, O'Malley has an unblemished 12-0 mark, including two first-round knockouts in the past five months. The only thing brighter than his hair is his future in the sport.

At -315 betting odds, this feels like another stop on the O'Malley's hype train. Though, to Vera's credit, he likely won't fall victim to an opening-round KO. He's 15-6 on his career, with all those defeats coming via decision.

Regardless, we like O'Malley to prevail. A fight like this is perfect to put into a parlay, too. With such lopsided odds, there's little value in betting Vera straight-up. However, in a parlay, you'll get a low-risk play to up the possible payout.

Betting pick to make: Sean O'Malley (-315)

Toss up Between Dos Santos and Rozenstruik

Oddsmakers across the board have this fight as razor close. Despite being fresh off the first loss of his career — a 20-second pounding at the hands of Francis Ngannou — Rozenstruik is the ever slight favorite.

We'd have to agree with the bookies. As bad as Rozenstruik looked just three short months ago, dos Santos hasn't fared any better as of late. He's lost back-to-back bouts by knockout, which also includes a first-round loss to Ngannou coincidentally.

Casual bettors might be more familiar with the dos Santos name. He's been a fixture in the heavyweight division for over a decade with headline fights against the likes of Miocic, Cain Velazquez, Frank Mir, and others. That mainstream appeal is why his betting line (-130) is so low. Don't fall trap to this, he's not the same fighter of old.

Betting pick to make: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-160)

The Machine Vs. The Magician

Two great nicknames are pitted against each other in this main card bout. Who wins out between magic (Dodson) and machine (Dvalishvili)?

We're siding with the machine. Dvalishvili is almost seven years younger than Dodson and has won four consecutive fights. Whereas Dodson has been more hot and cold, going 4-5 in his last outings.

Aside from Cormier, we believe the betting favorites will dominate the UFC 252 card from top to bottom. Dvalishvili will begin this trend early on with a convincing victory over Dodson.

Betting pick to make: Merab Dvalishvili (-200)

Those are our UFC 252 predictions. If you're ready to make your own, any of the sportsbooks below can help you out. They offer betting lines for the aforementioned fights, along with the prelims.

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