In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 57 — also known as UFC Louisville — at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Records: Cannonier (17-6-0) | Imavov (13-4-0)
The 40-year-old Cannonier isn’t going quietly out to pasture. Since losing via unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya for the title at UFC 276, he stopped Sean Strickland via split-decision in a mid-December main event, and he posted a unanimous-decision win over Marvin Vettori in another main event in mid-June. If “The Killa Gorilla” can get the win here, he might position himself for one final title shot before he rides off into the sunset.
Imavov might have other plans, though. He posted a majority-decision win over Roman Dolidze last time out in a main event, making up for a no contest against Chris Curtis at UFC 289, and a unanimous-decision loss to Sean Strickland in his first-ever main event Jan. 14, 2023.
Imavov stands 4 inches taller than the underdog, while Cannonier has a 2.5-inch reach advantage. The difference in significant strikes landed per minute is rather negligible, as Cannonier holds a slight 4.68-to-4.53 advantage. Imavov is a little more accurate at 57.84%, to 55.31% for the veteran.
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UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Cannonier +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Imavov -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over -200 | Under +150)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -135 | No +100)
UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
CANNONIER (+100) is not quite done yet. He heads into this one on a roll, showing he can still take down the top talent in the division.
Imavov (-120) was topped by Strickland, losing via unanimous decision, while Cannonier picked up the split-decision victory against him. That’s a recent common opponent, and it’s important.
Cannonier has ended up going the distance in each of his past 3 fights, too, while needing the judges in 5 of the past 6. Imavov has had just the no contest to Curtis at UFC 289 surrounded by 3 decisions.
If you agree, and like the slight underdog to win, you should also like CANNONIER BY DECISION (+225) for a chance to more than double up.
Over/Under (O/U)
Over 3.5 Rounds (-200) is a little on the pricey side, costing you twice as much as your potential return. If you toss that into a multi-leg parlay, it isn’t so bad, but as a standalone wager, it isn’t recommended.
Instead, simply play YES: WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? (-135) for a much better price.
Again, Cannonier has ended up going the distance in 5 of his past 6 fights, while Imavov has gone the distance 3 times in the past 4 outings.
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