
UFC Vegas 79 Punching Parlay
- Mohammed Usman (-150)
- Jacob Malkoun (-500)
2-Team Parlay (+100) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the Apex in Vegas with a top-tier lightweight main event between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot, and today, we’re singling our locks on the card.
Below, you’ll find two of our best bets from the UFC Vegas 79 fight card, and we’ve concluded that these juiced lines are worth the risk for this weekend’s event; continue reading to find the betting value.
UFC Vegas 79 Information
- Date & Time: Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 04:00 PM EDT
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Scheduled Fights: 11
- Main Event: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot (UFC Lightweight Bout)
Jake Collier vs. Mohammed Usman
UFC Vegas 79 Heavyweight Bout
Collier: The Story So Far
There’s no hiding from the fact that Jake Collier (13-9) and his pro-MMA career are on a steady decline. Having lost three consecutive bouts and 5 of his last 6 in the octagon, the former middleweight who’s now obese seems like he’s fighting at heavyweight simply because he cannot be bothered to train.
Usman: The Story So Far
Say what you will about the brother of welterweight legend Kamaru Usman. Still, Mohammed Usman (9-2) is a physical specimen for a heavyweight competitor, and his athletic attributes alone can assist him in defeating the lower ranks of the division that walks around overweight and out-of-shape.
UFC Vegas 79 Collier vs. Usman: Skillset Breakdown
Jon Jones, Ciryl Gane, and Tom Aspinall are just a handful of heavyweight competitors that should inspire the rest of the division to take their weight seriously, despite having the luxury of being able to weigh in at over 220lbs.
Unfortunately, many fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division seem to be unbothered by their body fat percentage, and you’ll notice a common theme: these competitors often fail. Jake Collier is one of those fighters, and he’ll be gasping for air regularly if he isn’t already snoozing after a TKO stoppage.
Mo Usman, on the other hand, for all of the red flags he puts up as an inexperienced fighter, evidently takes his fight preparations seriously, and his athletic prowess can cause problems for the likes of Collier and various other unranked and undesirable body type fighters.
Usman Moneyline Reasoning
Size, power, and trajectory are all in favor of Usman. He’s an Ultimate Fighter winner with a 2-0 promotional record. While we don’t expect him to be challenging the top five of the division anytime soon, he owns the attributes and tools to easily overcome the sluggish style of somebody on Collier’s level.
The UFC odds favor Usman, but a price of -150 is an absolute steal, in my opinion.
UFC Punching Parlay Leg 1: Mohammed Usman ML (-150) at Bovada
Jacob Malkoun vs. Cody Brundage
UFC Vegas 79 Middleweight Bout
Malkoun: The Story So Far
Australia’s Jacob Malkoun (7-2) entered the UFC with a 4-0 pro record, but with a background in boxing, he’s seamlessly transitioned to mixed martial arts, and a 3-2 UFC record is commendable.
Losses to Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen bear no shame, especially considering their lack of experience Malkoun has. And with a huge drop-down in the competition this weekend, he shouldn’t struggle to live up to the -500 moneyline.
Brundage: The Story So Far
Despite owning significant octagon experience over his previous opponent, Sedriques Dumas, FactoryX fighter Cody Brundage (8-5-0) looked horrific and undeserving of his UFC contract with the efforts displayed.
That loss put Brundage on a 3-fight losing streak where he’s seemed to accept defeat in those contests without much to write home about. Whenever takedowns aren’t available, he tends to shell up and go on the defensive, which he also isn’t very good at, as 3 of his 4 losses in the UFC were by way of submission or TKO/KO.
UFC Vegas 79 Malkoun vs. Brundage: Skillset Breakdown
Other than in-cage experience, I don’t see many positives for Cody Brundage. He’s taken this fight on short notice versus a continuously evolving fighter and is undoubtedly the more well-rounded of the two.
Malkoun has proved himself versus high-level grapplers. He’ll be the more skilled striker, and he’s the biggest betting favorite at UFC Vegas 79 for a reason.
Malkoun Moneyline Reasoning
The best sportsbooks aren’t showing much value on this bout, but it’s a safe bet and a perfect addition to boost our punching parlay to plus-money odds.
UFC Punching Parlay Leg 2: Jacob Malkoun ML (-500) at Bovada
The UFC Vegas 79 Punching Parlay
- Mohammed Usman (-150)
- Jacob Malkoun (-500)
2-Team Parlay (+100) at Bovada [1u stake returns 1u profit]
UFC Vegas 79 Main Card & Odds
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot [UFC lightweight main event bout]
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Dan Ige [UFC co-main featherweight bout]
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez [UFC women’s strawweight bout]
- Bryan Battle vs. A.J. Fletcher [UFC welterweight bout]
- Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos [UFC featherweight bout]
UFC Vegas 79 Preliminary Card & Odds
- Miles Johns vs. Daniel Argueta [UFC bantamweight bout]
- Tim Means vs. Andre Fialho [UFC welterweight bout]
- Jacob Malkoun vs. Cody Brundage [UFC middleweight bout]
- Jake Collier vs. Mohammed Usman [UFC heavyweight bout]
- Mizuki Inoue vs. Hannah Goldy [UFC women’s strawweight bout]
- Montserrat Rendon vs. Tamires Vidal [UFC women’s bantamweight bout]
*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.