UFC Vegas 85 Punching Parlay
- Randy Brown ML (-280)
- Azat Maksum ML (-220)
UFC Pick: Two Team Parlay (+104) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in Vegas for a fun-filled night of octagon wars with Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov topping the bill. I’m here to supplement your parlay betting needs with the UFC odds in hand.
Below, you’ll find two of my favorite picks from the UFC Vegas 85 fight card, and I’ve concluded that these betting lines are worth coupling together for this weekend’s event; continue reading to find the best MMA parlay value from sportsbooks on Saturday night.
UFC Vegas 85 Information
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 03, 2024 – 04:00 PM ET
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Scheduled Fights: 13
- Main Event: Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov (UFC Middleweight Bout)
Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov
UFC Vegas 85 Welterweight Bout
Brown: The Story So Far
“Rudeboy” Randy Brown is sixteen fights deep into a UFC career that stems back to 2016. At age 33, he is now, arguably, delivering the prime performances of his career.
Is he a future title challenger? Unlikely. Will he evolve into a top-5-ranked competitor? Probably not! However, he’s won 4 of his previous 5 bouts since 2021. This is the most noteworthy streak of his career. He is rightfully positioned as a -250 favorite ahead of his Vegas 85 main card contest.
- Brown Pro MMA Record: 17-5-0
- Brown Knockout Wins: 6
- Brown Submission Wins: 5
Salikhov: The Story So Far
Unlike most Russian mainstays on the UFC roster, Muslim Salikhov hasn’t relied on a strong wrestling background to assist his tenure inside the octagon. With a career defined by his striking credentials, he’s 6-3 as a UFC welterweight since 2017 and will undoubtedly be relying on his stand-up game once again this weekend.
- Salikhov Pro MMA Record: 19-4-0
- Salikhov Knockout Wins: 12
- Salikhov Submission Wins: 3
UFC Vegas 85 Brown vs. Salikhov: The Betting Breakdown
At age 39, is Father Time finally kicking in for Salikhov?
His most recent outings would suggest it is. For the first time since joining the promotion six years ago, he boasts a negative win/loss record over his previous three fights, and losses to Jinliang Li and a fellow aging fighter in Nicolas Dalby aren’t giving us much reason to doubt “Rudeboy” on Saturday.
Brown will own a ridiculous reach advantage (9 inches), per usual, but how he utilizes said reach behind his jab is often the difference maker. With this style, he can dart in and out, dominate the striking output numbers, and beat most welterweights ranked outside of the top 15.
Randy Brown Moneyline Reasoning
As long as Brown remains on the outside, it’s his fight to lose. Personally, I believe it’s a knockout-or-bust situation for Salikhov, who’s noticeably slowed down with worrying and questionable cardio in recent years. Furthermore, Brown hasn’t been knocked out in four years, and I don’t envision the Russian having enough speed or cage-cutting pressure to find the finishing shot.
The available odds favor Brown, and although the price is ugly, we can utilize this price in the first leg of our punching parlay.
UFC Vegas 85 Punching Parlay Leg 1: Brown ML (-280) at BetOnline
Charles Johnson vs. Azat Maksum
UFC Vegas 85 Flyweight Bout
Maksum: The Story So Far
Azat Maksum was a highly touted prospect ahead of his UFC debut last year. Although he received the nod via split decision versus Tyson Nam, critics and analysts alike seem to have withdrawn their previous hype due to an underwhelming performance.
However, Maksum is an elite-level talent, and we shouldn’t allow one outing to fade our judgment.
Nam had previously never been taken down in 34 pro bouts until he met the Russian, which should give you a clue as to how good Maksum is on the mats.
- Maksum Pro MMA Record: 17-0-0
- Maksum Knockout Wins: 5
- Maksum Submission Wins: 6
Johnson: The Story So Far
Johnson is riding a 3-fight losing streak and continues to make the same mistakes, one being the acceptance of short-notice bouts. And again, this weekend is another short-notice bout, but this time, he’ll face a fully prepared Maksum with elite wrestling skills.
He’s one loss away from losing his position in the UFC flyweight division. While he might enter the octagon with a fighting-for-his-job mentality, it’s difficult to envision a path to victory for Johnson, who hasn’t displayed a threat in one single area of the fight game.
- Johnson Pro MMA Record: 13-6-0
- Johnson Knockout Wins: 5
- Johnson Submission Wins: 4
UFC Vegas 85 Maksum vs. Johnson: Betting Breakdown
Based on the aforementioned factors, I assume you already know which side I’m on.
Don’t allow his UFC debut to cloud your opinion because Maksum holds that specialized skillset that’s elite enough to position him as a future top-10 competitor at 125 lbs.
Johnson doesn’t present awful takedown defense, but any fighter that can chain wrestle won’t struggle to take him down, and given Maksum’s wrestling credentials, there’s only one path I see this fight going down.
Maksum Moneyline Reasoning
He’s an incredibly impressive wrestler from Kazakhstan with an undefeated record; need I say anymore?
The odds favor Maksum, but fortunately, a tough outing against Tyson Nam has gifted us a reasonable moneyline price in a flyweight bout this weekend that the up-and-coming prospect should dominate.
UFC Vegas 85 Punching Parlay Leg 2: Maksum ML (-220) at BetOnline
The UFC Vegas 85 Punching Parlay
- Randy Brown ML (-280)
- Azat Maksum ML (-220)
UFC Pick: Two Team Parlay (+104) at BetOnline
*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.
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