A clash of top-five heavyweights highlights the UFC on ESPN 3 card on Saturday as Junior dos Santos meets Francis Ngannou in the main event. The 12-bout UFC on ESPN 3 fight card takes place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, with the main card set for 9 p.m. ET. The third-ranked dos Santos (21-5) has won three straight bouts after coming up short in a heavyweight title clash against former champion Stipe Miocic in May 2017. Meanwhile, the hard-punching Ngannou (13-3) seeks his third consecutive victory on the heels of a two-fight losing streak. Ngannou is a -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100), while dos Santos is priced at +210 in the latest Ngannou vs. dos Santos odds. In the co-main event, Jussier Formiga (+155) faces Joseph Benavidez (-175) in a flyweight bout. Before you make your UFC on ESPN 3 picks and Ngannou vs. dos Santos predictions, make sure you hear what SportsLine MMA expert Kyle Marley has to say.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and is currently in first place in this year’s competition. Marley also appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every single UFC card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past year, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $22,000. It’s an astonishing cash rate that shows the depth of Marley’s knowledge. Just last week at UFC Fight Night 154, Marley posted a 9-2 record to return a profit of nearly $900 in one night. His winning selections included big underdog winners on Randy Brown (+230) against Bryan Barberena (-270) and he also accurately predicted Molly McCann (+240) upsetting Ariane Lipski (-280). Anyone who has followed Marley’s advice is up huge.
Now, with UFC on ESPN 3 fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the 12-fight UFC Minneapolis card, identified the best values in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every single fight. He’s sharing those selections only over at SportsLine.
Marley knows the bout represents a turning point in the careers of both heavyweights, who are aiming to return to title contention. Both came up short in title bouts against Miocic, the former champ who has since lost the belt to Daniel Cormier.
Ngannou, 32, is considered perhaps the hardest puncher in UFC history. The knockout artist was widely viewed as a superstar in the making before he was outclassed by Miocic in their January 2018 fight. He suffered another setback against Derrick Lewis, but has since won two bouts by knockout. He stopped former champion Cain Velasquez in February.
Dos Santos, 35, has one of the most well-rounded skill sets in the heavyweight division. He won the UFC heavyweight belt by stopping Velasquez in November 2011, but lost in a rematch the following year. He was stopped by Miocic in their May 2017 title bout, but has since won three straight. He scored a technical knockout of Lewis in March. You can only see Marley’s dos Santos vs. Ngannou picks at SportsLine.
One of the UFC Minneapolis picks we can share: Marley is backing Junior Albini (-105) against Maurice Green (-115) in a heavyweight bout on the undercard that Vegas views as virtually even.
“Albini will look to land takedowns and can have success on the feet as well,” Marley told SportsLine. “Because the line is where it is, I am going to take a shot on Albini.”
Marley also has strong picks for Dos Santos vs. Ngannou, Benavidez vs. Formiga and every other bout on the stacked UFC on ESPN 3 card. You can see them exclusively at SportsLine.
Who wins Dos Santos vs. Ngannou? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on all 12 fights at UFC on ESPN 3, all from the incomparable expert who’s up more than $22,000 on MMA in the past year, and find out.
