Dominick Reyes has made a point of soaking in the surroundings as he prepares for the biggest moment of his career. Jon Jones says this is proof the occasion is too big for his challenger. The light heavyweight champ insists that simply landing a title fight will be the pinnacle career achievement for Reyes, whom he faces on Saturday in the main event of UFC 247. The 11-bout showcase takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston, with the main UFC 247 fight card set for 10 p.m. ET.
Jones (25-1-1) has 10 successful title defenses in two stints as light heavyweight champion. but Reyes (12-0) is adamant he is capable of pulling the upset. Jones is a -460 favorite (risk $460 to win $100), while Reyes is a +360 underdog (risk $100 to win $360) in the latest Jones vs. Reyes odds. In the co-main event on the UFC 247 card, women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (-950) defends her belt against top-ranked challenger Katlyn Chookagian (+650). Before making any UFC 247 picks, check out the MMA predictions from SportsLine MMA expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and also appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and DFS shows. Over the past year, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $19,000.
At UFC Fight Night 166, Marley told SportsLine members that Angela Hill (-160) would defeat Hannah Cifers (+140) in a strawweight bout on the main card. He reasoned that Hill’s edge in striking skill and power would be the difference, and she proved him correct by overwhelming Cifers on her way to a second-round knockout.
What’s more, at UFC 246, Marley told SportsLine members that Conor McGregor (-320) would make quick work of his return to the octagon following a 15-month layoff against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (+260). McGregor stopped Cerrone 40 seconds into the bout. Anyone who has followed Marley is way up.
Jones vs. Reyes preview
Now, with UFC 247 fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every single fight. He’s sharing those selections only over at SportsLine.
The MMA analyst said he believes Jones is “the greatest fighter to ever live,” but also acknowledges that the underdog Reyes has enough knockout power to pose a threat.
There are many MMA observers who believe Jones, 32, is fast running out of legitimate contenders in the light heavyweight division and might eventually have to move to heavyweight in order to find competitive bouts.
However, recent performances suggest the contenders might be closing the gap. Top-ranked challenger Thiago Santos pushed Jones wire to wire in their July bout despite suffering a torn ACL in the first round. Jones got by with a split-decision victory, and many observers were left wondering how the bout might have unfolded had Santos been at full strength.
Reyes, 30, has shown ample athleticism, speed and power while winning his first six UFC bouts against respectable opponents including Weidman, Volkan Oezdemir and Jared Cannonier. You can get all of Marley’s UFC 247 predictions here.
Top UFC 247 predictions
For UFC Houston, Marley is backing Domingo Pilarte (-140) against Journey Nelson (+120) in a bantamweight clash on the preliminary card. Pilarte (8-2) saw a five-fight win streak come to an end in his UFC debut. The 30-year-old dropped a split decision to Felipe Dias Colarte in July.
Newson (9-2) similarly dropped his debut with the promotion following six consecutive victories with other fighting outlets. He lost a unanimous decision to Ricardo Ramos in June.
“Pilarte has plenty of talent, but in his last fight, he showed little aggressiveness and did nothing to earn a win. If he fights to his potential, he would be a bigger favorite and the better fighter everywhere,” Marley told SportsLine. “I am going to chalk that up as UFC jitters and will pick Pilarte to get the win.”
How to make UFC 247 picks
Marley also has strong picks for Reyes vs. Jones, Shevchenko vs. Chookagian and every other bout on the UFC 247 card. He’s backing one fighter who “has a lot more ways to win.” Get every pick for every fight at SportsLine.
Who wins Reyes vs. Jones? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 247, all from the expert who’s up more than $19,000 on MMA in the past year, and find out.
UFC 247 odds for every fight
Jon Jones (-460) vs. Dominick Reyes (+360)
Valentina Shevchenko (-950) vs. Katlyn Chookagian (+650)
Juan Adams (-260) vs. Justin Tafa (+210)
Mirsad Bektic (-135) vs. Dan Ige (+115)
Derrick Lewis (-290) vs. Ilir Latifi (+230)
Trevin Giles (-140) vs. Antonio Arroyo (+115)
Alex Morono (-250) vs. Kalinn Williams (+205)
Andrea Lee (-360) vs Lauren Murphy (+290)
Miles Johns (-135) vs. Mario Bautista (+115)
Domingo Pilarte (-140) vs. Journey Nelson (+120)
Andre Ewell (-120) vs. Jonathan Martinez (+100)
Austin Lingo (-210) vs. Youssef Zalal (+175)
