UFC Fight Night 182 preliminary card betting tips

UFC Fight Night 182 betting preview

As has been the case in the Ultimate Fight Championship in recent months, this week’s card is flush with matchups including young prospects and aging veterans. Here’s a look at the UFC betting odds for the Fight Night 182 preliminary card that will feed into the main card this Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bevon Lewis (-120) vs Trevin Giles (+100)

Bevon Lewis (7-2-0) and Trevin Giles (12-2-0) both broke two-fight losing streaks in their most recent bouts, with Lewis defeating Dequan Townsend at UFC Fight Night 166 in January and Giles beating James Krause at UFC 247 in February. This is an important fight for both men as one will be back on track with two straight wins and the other will be stuck in a 1-3 slump.

This is a tough one to cap. Giles has had more success in the UFC overall, but Lewis will have the height and reach advantage in this one. As we always do when faced with a close fight that’s too tough to call, we’ll take the better price on the underdog.

Giga Chikadze (-700) vs Jamey Simmons (+500)

Giga Chikadze (11-2-0) has won each of his last six fights including a perfect 4-0 record in the UFC and a 3-0 record so far in 2020. He’ll face Jamey Simmons (7-2-0) on Saturday as Simmons brings a three-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. This should be a clear mismatch that doesn’t last very long.

Alexander Romanov (-425) vs Marcos Rogeiro de Lima (+325)

Alexander Romanov (12-0-0) is off to a perfect 12-0 start to his MMA career including a submission win over Roque Martinez in his UFC debut in September. Romanov will face a heavyweight in Marcos Rogeiro de Lima (17-6-0) that does have significant knockout power with 12 of his 17 wins coming by way of knockout. Heavy hitters like de Lima always have a puncher’s chance, but Romanov shouldn’t have too much trouble taking this fight to the mat and earning a finish.

Darren Elkins (-230) vs Eduardo Garagorri (+195)

Darren Elkins (24-9-0) strung a six-fight winning streak together that spanned from 2015 through 2018, but since then he has lost each of his last four fights. Eduardo Garagorri (13-1-0) entered the UFC with 12 straight wins before winning his first UFC fight against Humberto Bandenay by decision and then losing to Ricardo Ramos by submission. This is an extremely winnable fight for Elkins, who desperately needs a win to prove that he still belongs in the promotion.

Max Griffin (-140) vs Ramiz Brahimaj (+120)

This will be an intriguing matchup between Max Griffin (15-8-0) who will have the striking advantage in this bout and Ramiz Brahimaj (8-2-0) who will be making his UFC debut with all eight of his professional wins coming by way of submission. Griffin is just 3-6 in the UFC and 1-4 in his last five fights; he has never been submitted before, but Brahimaj could start his UFC career off with a splash by earning a stoppage win on Saturday.

Anthony Birchak (-135) vs Gustavo Lopez (+115)

Anthony Birchak (16-6-0) makes his UFC debut this weekend on the heels of three straight first-round victories. Gustavo Lopez (11-5-0) did the same in June when he lost to Merab Dvalishvili. This will be a competitive opening matchup, but look for Birchak to eventually earn the win on the mat.