In a 3-round bantamweight bout on the main card, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo meet Saturday at UFC 298 at Honda Center in Anaheim. Let’s analyze BetMGM A7XUrRsJbKBOok’s lines around the UFC 298: Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, and is on Pay-Per-View.
Records: Dvalishvili (16-4-0) | Cejudo (16-3-0)
Dvalishvili picked up a unanimous-decision win over Petr Yan last time out in the main event March 11, 2023. He has won 8 of his past 9 fights, with all but 1 of the victories coming by UD. He posted a 2nd-round KO/TKO of Marlon Moraes at UFC 266 for the only fight inside the distance since April 2018.
The veteran Cejudo is looking to bounce back after a split-decision loss to Aljamain Sterling in a title fight at UFC 288 in early May 2023. That halted a 3-bout win streak via KO/TKO, all coming in title defense bouts. He has ended up going the distance in 3 of his past 6 fights, however.
The Georgian fighter holds a 4-inch reach advantage over Cejudo, and he has a 4.46-to-3.93 significant strikes landed per minute advantage while hitting those strikes at a 58.71% clip. He is also more accurate on takedowns, posting a 6.55 takedown average and 36.27% takedown accuracy percentage, to just 2.07 and 34.29% for the underdog.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
UFC 298: Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Dvalishvili -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | Cejudo +225 (bet $100 to win $225)
- Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -350 | Under +240)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -300 | No +210)
UFC 298: Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
There is no reason to bet against Dvalishvili (-275), although picking him on the 2-way line is just a little too expensive. Backing the favorite will cost you almost 3 times your potential return, and that’s too much risk and not enough reward.
He has ended up going the distance in 8 of his past 9 fights, and as such, let’s get a little more specific with winner and method of victory. Playing DVALISHVILI BY DECISION (-135) is a much more economical way to go.
And if you want a little extra wiggle room, playing the Double Chance with DVALISHVILI BY SUBMISSION OR ON POINTS (-180) isn’t priced out of line.
Over/Under (O/U)
Over 2.5 Rounds (-350) will set you back 3½ times your potential return, so there is no value there.
In addition, there is no value in playing Yes (-300): Will the fight go the distance? It’s just too much risk and not enough reward. Play the Method of Victory instead, and declare a winner for a much better value.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
