And here we go. After all the excitement for Ultimate Fighting Championship fans earlier this month with some great showcases, more of the same is on the way this weekend at UFC 286. That said, we have our Best UFC 286 Bets: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 3 Picks. Which superstar fighter will end up coming out on top in one of the biggest fights of the year?
• UFC 286 main event: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman
• Saturday, March 18 at 5 PM ET
• The O2 Arena in London, England
Entering this fight, Usman is the favorite to take down Edwards at UFC 286, as he has loads of confidence right now. In the welterweight division, Usman has proved he’s one of the best on the planet. Known for his tremendous speed and power inside of the octagon, he will be ready to try and provide plenty of problems for Edwards in this one.
Currently, Usman has a 20-2-0 record leading up to his matchup with Edwards. As for his opponent, Edwards is 20-3-0. As you can see from those records, these two are evenly matched. This is why people are so excited about this main event on Saturday night, but Usman is feeling quite confident right now. He’s ready to put on a show in this one.
| UFC 286 odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usman to win | -240 | -240 | -240 |
| Edwards to win | +195 | +195 | +195 |
| Fiziev to win | -245 | -245 | -245 |
| Gaethje to win | +190 | +190 | +190 |
“Now, the problem is, you can watch as much tape as you want to,” Usman said via mmafighting.com. “Many people can see me and say, ‘Oh, wow, he has a decent gas tank.’ But until you are locked in that cage with me and feel that, you have no idea. This individual has felt it twice, and he has melted twice. He’s shown me nothing to let me believe he’s a better mixed martial artist than I am — besides one Hail Mary in the fifth round.”
As you can see from that quote, Usman will be ready to give Edwards everything he’s got. Per the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Usman holds -240 UFC betting odds to post a win, while Edwards is set at +195. From our chair, we think Usman will dominate. He’s our pick. Agree with us in this case? Check out our best UFC betting sites to get a wager in.
In the co-main event for the night, Rafael Fiziev is ready to dominate Justin Gaethje in another meeting that is highly anticipated. Fiziev has turned plenty of heads himself in the lightweight division, as he’s been able to post a 12-1-0 mark. Gaethje is the more known fighter in this weight class, as he has a bit more experience compared to his opponent.
Gaethje is 23-4-0 in his career. Despite having the experience advantage on his side, Fiziev has been electric since making his debut, and the fact that he only has one loss to his name is pretty impressive. Now, he’s going to be ready to do whatever is needed to record win No. 13 for his career. A lot of experts and analysts think he’ll be able to get that job done.
“I’m ready like never before,” Fiziev said while speaking to the media. “Fans do this business, and I agree with fans. This is fireworks. Like his nickname, ‘Highlight.’ This win, I mean, look, he’s a former interim champion, he’s fought with legends a lot, he’s had a big career, he’s a very famous guy. I can’t wait to go in and see him in the cage. Just together, smell blood, smell his heart.”
Fiziev delivered quite the warning there with his thoughts on this brawl. Per the oddsmakers, Fiziev is favored with his -245 odds. Gaethje is a great fighter and he’s posted some memorable wins, but we think that Fiziev will simply be too much for him to handle in this one. We’re going with Fiziev as our pick to record in front of the fans in London on Saturday night.
Last but not least, Gunnar Nelson will have no issues at UFC 286 when he takes on Bryan Barberena. Nelson is widely considered a monster favorite, and for a good reason – he’s been sensational of late with the gloves on. The same can’t be said for Barberena, as he is 18-9-0 in his career. Those nine losses have a lot of people nervous about how long he’ll last vs. Nelson on Saturday in England.
Nelson is 18-5-1 in his career. While those five losses are a bit concerning as well, he has looked sharp in his wins, with his outstanding power really leading the way. Per the oddsmakers, Nelson holds an impressive -460 odds to win at UFC 285. Barberena has been placed at +300. We have a feeling Nelson will record a first-round knockout. He’s our pick to win.
