UFC 248: Adesanya vs Romero Betting Tips, Odds, and Preview
The classic striker versus grappler scenario in mixed martial arts
Undefeated UFC Middleweight Champion, Israel “Style Bender” Adesanya, defends his belt for the first time this weekend against perennial contender Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero. Their feature bout will headline a stacked UFC 248 pay-per-view card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Coming off a spectacular win against former middleweight kingpin Robert Whitaker, Adesanya looks to build off the momentum and further stake his claim as the GOAT (the greatest of all time). Currently, he’s 7-0 in the UFC and has been on a tear with notable wins over the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Anderson Silva, and Derek Brunson.
Romero, on the other hand, is one of the most feared fighters in the division. However, he’s lost three of his last four fights, and is on a two-fight losing streak, dropping consecutive razor-thin decisions to the aforementioned Robert Whitaker and Paulo Costa.
This matchup, on paper, highlights the classic striker versus grappler scenario in mixed martial arts. Stylebender utilises offbeat yet precise striking, capitalising on his footwork to hit opponents from different angles, while Soldier of God’s bread and butter has always been is his power and his freestyle wrestling.
Who to Bet on UFC 248?
Speed kills — most of the time — in combat sports, so if Israel Adesanya can stay off the ground and avoid Yoel Romero’s vaunted takedowns, then he’s more than likely to chip away at his opponent’s chin and eventually get the W. But Romero, given his muscular physique, is no slouch on his feet, proving to everyone how he’s the prototypical MMA fighter who has a complete set of tools in striking and grappling.
Romero has had notable, rather devastating knockout wins against former UFC champs Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman, and Luke Rockhold, so he can sure give Kiwi kickboxer a run for his money standing up. The real challenge for the Cuban wrestler — besides consistently making the 185-pound limit — is if he can take and manhandle the elusive champ on the ground if or when his striking doesn’t work.
UFC 248 Main Event Betting Tips and Odds
As of this writing, various oddsmakers unsurprisingly put the champ Israel Adesanya as the odds-on-favourite coming in to UFC 248. Ohmbet puts him at 1.35, 888Sport and MrGreen at 1.36, and Betsafe at 1.37.
On the flipside, betting on Yoel Romero’s calibre isn’t so bad after all. He’s a 3.2 underdog on both Ohmbet and Betsafe, a 3.05 on 888Sport and MrGreen.
These odds indicate just how evenly matched these two middleweight fighters are. The winner of UFC 248’s main event somewhat boils down on who can impose their gameplan of whether to keep the fight standing or take it to the ground.
All betting tips and promotions are intended for you who are 18+, t&c’s apply. Please bet responsibly.
