UFC Vegas 63 Best Bets

After a tremendous UFC card in Abu Dhabi, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is back at it again this week with UFC Vegas 63. UFC Vegas 63 will take place on October 29 at UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada.

The 12-card fight, headlined by the featherweight main event between Calvin Kattar and Alvin Allen, will get underway at 4 pm (ET) and be streamed on ESPN +. The following are the best bets for the event.

 

Phil Hawes vs. Roman Dolidze, middleweight

Hawes (12-3) enters the octagon with a 4-1 record in the UFC. The 33-year-old responded exceptionally well after suffering his first defeat in the promotion by knocking out Deron Winn less than a minute prior to the second round bell on June 18 to pick up his second “Performance of the Night” bonus with the UFC. He has won eight of nine fights overall.

Dolidze (10-1) has won two straight fights since suffering his only defeat and is 4-1 in the UFC.The 34-year-old Georgian wasted little time in knocking out Kyle Daukas 1:13 into the first round in his last outing in May.

While Dolidze has the power to pick knock out Hawes, who has an occasional shaky chin, I will go with the favorite here. Hawes is the far better striker and is the superior wrestler. 13 of Hawes’ 15 fights have ended via finish, with him having a 10-3 in those bouts.

Prediction: Hawes to win (-170)
Best Bet: Hawes by finish (+150)
Best Bet No. 2: Fight to not go the distance (-150)

Marcos Rogerio De Lima vs. Andrei Arlovski, Heavyweight

Rogerio de Lima (19-9) is a UFC veteran that really hasn’t shown any consistency. The 37- Brazillian has not won more than two consecutive fights in the promotion, which was recent. He has won three of five overall though he is coming off a unanimous loss to Blagoy Ivanov on May 7.

Arlovski (34-20) is a legend and a two-time defending champion, but his last title fight was over 15 years ago. The 43-year-old American has won four straight bouts, with a split decision over Jake Collier on April 30 being the latest, and six of seven overall.

I am going to Rogerio de Lima by finish. Rogerio de Lima is listed at -265 on the money line and is a big puncher with 13 career knockout victories. Meanwhile, Alvorski looks like he is about through in the ring.

Prediction/Best Bet: Rogerio de Lima by KO/TKO/DQ – +165

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Over Jared Vandera, heavyweight

Cores-Acosta enters his first UFC fight undefeated (7-0). The 31-year-old Dominican earned a UFC contract after picking up a TKO win over Danilo Suzart in Dana White Contender Series Season 6 (August 2). Four of Cortes-Acosta’s victories have come via KO/TKO.

Meanwhile, Vanderaa (12-9) has lost four straight fights, with three of the setbacks coming via finish. The 30-year-old American is coming off a third-round knockout loss to Chase Sherman on July 9. Vanderaa is just 1-5 with the UFC.

I am going with Cortes-Acosta to earn the win. Cortes-Acosta is a frenetic puncher who looked great in his DW Contender Series victory, while Vanderaa has struggled mightily since joining the UFC.

Prediction: Cortes-Acosta to win (-195)

Other Best Bets

Tresean Gore (+135) Over Josh Fremd
Jun Yong Park (-225) over Joseph Holmes