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PLAYBETUSA’S UFC 257 PREDICTIONS, PICKS, AND ODDS

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PLAYBETUSA’S UFC 257 PREDICTIONS, PICKS, AND ODDS

DUSTIN POIRIER VS CONOR MCGREGOR

Date: January 23rd
Time: Main Card – 10:00 pm ET
Stadium: Etihad Arena

The main event of UFC 257 this Saturday night promises fireworks. Conor McGregor comes out of another short-lived retirement to face Dustin Poirier, in a rerun of the pair’s clash at UFC 178 back in 2014. McGregor secured a TKO victory in that fight inside of two minutes, and has promised an even faster knockout this time round.

‘The Diamond’, on the other hand, is hoping for this fight to get off the ground, and laid down the gauntlet to McGregor by challenging Ireland’s ‘Notorious’ to stand and trade. Relishing the prospect of a bloody affair, Poirier needs to win this fight to stand any chance of getting himself back in the title picture.

McGregor has held both the lightweight and featherweight belts since this duo first met, becoming the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champion in the process. He only needed 40 seconds to see off Donald Cerrone in his last fight a year ago and is the favorite to get it done this weekend.

PICKS: McGregor (-305)

VALUE

Dan Hooker vs Michael Chandler

Date: January 23rd
Time: Main Card – 10:00 pm ET
Stadium: Etihad Arena

Dan Hooker fights in the co-main event of UFC 256 instead of the headliner, thanks to his loss to Dustin Poirier in June of last year. The Kiwi still put on an impressive show in that Fight of the Year contender, and can put himself back in the title picture with a big win against Michael Chandler.

Getting it won’t be easy though, against the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion. Chandler is making his UFC debut at the age of 34, and his arrival in the promotion is hugely exciting in the already stacked 155-pound division.

Hooker will look to send Chandler packing straight back to Bellator. ‘The Hangman’ has time on his side at the age of 30, but he has a lot of work to do after losing two of his last five fights against Poirier and Edson Barboza. We fancy Hooker to get it done here though – just.

PICKS: Hooker (-125)

VALUE

JESSICA EYE VS JOANNE CALDERWOOD

Date: January 23rd
Time: Main Card – 10:00 pm ET
Stadium: Etihad Arena

Both Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood come into their clash at UFC 257 on the back of a loss. Naturally, both women need to get themselves back in the win column if they want to end this main event ahead of the other in the flyweight rankings.

‘Evil’ Eye is the #6-ranked contender in the 125-pound division, while Calderwood is #7. Both women are veterans at 34, making this a must-win bout for both of them. Eye edges it in terms of her experience at the higher level, but Calderwood is certainly a threat after seeing off the dangerous Andrea Lee in the fight before her defeat to Jennifer Maia.

Eye lost to Cynthia Calvillo last time out, her second defeat in six after she was outclassed by champion Valentina Shevchenko in a June 2019 title fight. ‘Bullet’ is the only target in this division, and Eye is the likelier of these two women to get another shot at her.

PICKS: Eye (+100)

MATT FREVOLA VS OTTMAN AZAITAR

Date: January 23rd
Time: Main Card – 10:00 pm ET
Stadium: Etihad Arena

A deep card at UFC 257 throws up a potentially frenetic fight between Matt Frevola and Ottman Azaitar. ‘The Steamrolla’ Frevola brings a soldier’s mentality to every one of his fights, while his opponent, ‘Bulldozer’ Azaitar has an unbeaten record to maintain on Saturday night.

The German-Moroccan competes in his third UFC bout, having seen off Teemu Packalen and Khama Worthy in his first two fights within the promotion. Bulldozer is a hard-hitting brawler who comes into this contest on the back of five straight knockouts and boasting a 13-0 record.

US Army Reservist Frevola has only ever tasted defeat once inside the Octagon, a first-round KO at the hands of Polo Reyes two years ago. He followed that up with a majority draw against Lando Vannata and two impressive victories over Jalin Turner and Luis Pena. Beating the fearsome Azaitar could be a step too far though.

PICKS: Azaitar (-175)

VALUE

MARINA RODRIGUEZ VS AMANDA RIBAS

Date: January 23rd
Time: Main Card – 10:00 pm ET
Stadium: Etihad Arena

Amanda Ribas is looking to continue her upward trajectory as she takes on Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257 this weekend. Ribas comes into the bout on the back of a five-fight winning streak, while Rodriguez needs to get back in the win column after a draw and defeat in her last two contests.

There were mitigating circumstances in both of those fights though, with Cynthia Calvillo weighing in 4.5 pounds overweight for her draw with Rodriguez, before M-Rod lost a tight split decision to Carla Esparza in July.

Even so, Ribas is the woman with all the momentum and an impressive 10-1 record. She ended Paige VanZant’s UFC career last time out at UFC 251, and also beat the talented Mackenzie Derm in her recent winning streak. We’re backing Ribas to make it six in a row on Saturday night.

PICKS: Ribas (-335)

VALUE

* All odds are via Parx Sportsbook.