UFC 287 Punching Parlay (-103): Combining a Moderate & a Heavy Favorite

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Punching Parlay UFC MMA

UFC 287 Parlay Picks

  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden: Ignacio Bahamondes ML (-190)
  • Joe Pyfer vs. Gerald Meerschaert: Joe Pyfer ML (-340)

UFC Pick: Two-Legged Parlay (-103) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Miami, Florida, for the first premier event in the 305 for close to twenty years.

Jorge Masvidal will be the show’s star. Still, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are competing for the middleweight gold at the top of the UFC 287 schedule on Saturday, April 8, and we’ve selected a handful of moneyline wagers to formulate the perfect parlay.

Below you’ll find two of our best UFC picks from the fight card, and we’ve created a probable parlay for this weekend’s event; continue reading to find the betting value.

UFC 287 Information

  • When: Saturday, April 08, 2023 – 10:00 PM EDT
  • Where: Kaseya Center
  • Scheduled Fights: 13
  • Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 (UFC Middleweight Championship Bout)

Joe Pyfer vs. Gerald Meerschaert

UFC 287 Middleweight Bout

Joseph Pyfer

Despite a freak accident during his first opportunity at a UFC contract, Joseph Pyfer (10-2-0) fought through adversity, returned to Dana White’s Contender Series, and dominated his opponent until a round two TKO stoppage ushered the youngster onto the UFC roster.

The impressive skillset of the 26-year-old continued once he reached the octagon. A debut UFC bout finished with a round-one knockout over Alen Amedovski, and now he’ll look to outwit and overpower his first professional career veteran opponent in Gerald Meerschaert.

Gerald Meerschaert

Gerald Meerschaert (35-15-0) is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC. With 50 pro bouts on his record, Meerschaert is no stranger to dangerous opponents and will welcome the opportunity to derail a highly touted prospect.

Pyfer vs. Meerschaert: Skillset Breakdown

Meerschaert is predominantly a grappler, as most of his career success has fallen back on his jiu-jitsu offense. With a submission win rate of 77%, he’s won 27 of his 35 career victories via submission, and it’ll undoubtedly be a path to success for the aging vet.

While experience and jiu-jitsu will undoubtedly favor Meerschaert, speed, power, youth, and size all side with Pyfer. Without a grounded position favoring the veteran, we should expect Pyfer to outclass Meerschaert in all striking exchanges heavily. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him be the more talented grappler.

Pyfer Moneyline Reasoning

Pyfer owns the jiu-jitsu background to fend off Meerschaert; he’s a former state wrestling champion and kickboxing champion. He’s a fighter boasting a complete skillset to go far in this division, and Meerschaert simply isn’t diverse enough to compete with the well-rounded tools Pyfer possesses.

The available UFC odds are showing some value at -190, and I wouldn’t argue playing this as a straight moneyline. However, it’s also the perfect parlay piece because this significant value can boost the juiced odds elsewhere on the card.

UFC Pick: Joseph Pyfer ML (-190) at BetOnline


Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden

UFC 287 Catchweight Bout

Ignacio Bahamondes

I’ve personally been high on Ignacio Bahamondes (13-4-0) for a long time, and despite losing his debut UFC bout to John Makdessi via split decision, many critics argued this result.

He bounced back in fashion by stopping Roosevelt Roberts and Zhu Rong inside the distance, displaying his multifaceted skillset with a wheel kick and brabo choke, respectively.

Aged just 25, the future looks bright for Bahamondes. He’s a born finisher with the fighting spirit you can always be confident putting your money behind. He isn’t one-dimensional and can provide different approaches to the octagon. While he stands 6 feet 3 inches tall as a lightweight competitor, he always towers above the 155lb opposition.

Trey Ogden

Yanal Ashmoz (16-5-0) is serviceable in all areas but doesn’t present a unique set of skills that should worry those fading him at the books.

Bahamondes vs. Ogden: Skillset Breakdown

Standing 6 ft. 3 inches tall, Bahamondes owns the most obvious advantage, his size. He hasn’t struggled to make weight for a lightweight competitor with such stature, and with a solid set of MMA tools to match, he’s a problem for this division.

For Bahamondes, takedown defense – check, striking output – check, power – check, jiu-jitsu – check. Everything checks out, and while he needs to work on his striking defenses, Ogden isn’t the opponent that will cause him problems in this area.

Bahamondes Moneyline Reasoning

Ogden will likely spam takedowns, and he’ll most likely fail. We’ve watched this play out multiple times during Ogden’s career, and his willingness to allow opponents like Jordan Leavitt to initiate a game plan and let it play out is a concern.

I don’t believe he owns the octagon intelligence to cause Bahamondes any problems, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Bahamondes dominates this bout to a round-one stoppage.

The available UFC odds at U.S. betting sites aren’t worth a moneyline wager on the favorite, but that’s the beauty of our punching parlay. We can pair a mid-tier pricing level with a juiced line like what we receive on Bahamondes for a more respectable value.

UFC Pick: Bahamondes ML (-340) at BetOnline


UFC 287 Main Card & Odds

UFC 287 Preliminary Card & Odds

*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.