UFC 252 Odds, Picks, and Predictions – Miocic vs Cormier 3
- The trilogy fight three years in the making headlines a solid UFC 252 card
- Is the winner of Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier the greatest heavyweight of all-time?
- See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC 252 main card below
The rivalry will end on Saturday night when Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier have their trilogy bout in the main event of UFC 252. The main card airs live at 10:00 pm EST on Pay-per-view.
In the main event, the heavyweight title is on the line and many pundits believe the winner will be considered the greatest heavyweight of all-time. The co-main event sees rising superstar Sean O’Malley taking on Marlon Vera in a very intriguing bout for the bantamweight division.
The table below shows odds for the entire main card at two different sportsbooks, followed by best bets for the event.
UFC 252 Odds
| Fighter | FanDuel Odds | DraftKings Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Stipe Miocic | -102 | -110 |
| Daniel Cormier | -116 | -110 |
| Fighter | Odds | Odds |
| Sean O’Malley | -320 | -315 |
| Marlon Vera | +260 | +240 |
| Fighter | Odds | Odds |
| Junior dos Santos | +134 | +120 |
| Jairzinho Rozenstruik | -158 | -150 |
| Fighter | Odds | Odds |
| John Dodson | +152 | +160 |
| Merab Dvalishvili | -180 | -200 |
| Fighter | Odds | Odds |
| Magomed Ankalaev | -320 | -315 |
| Ion Cutelaba | +260 | +240 |
All odds of Aug. 10
Will Cormier Retire On Top?
Stipe Miocic (19-3) reclaimed his heavyweight belt last time out with a fourth-round TKO over Daniel Cormier at UFC 241. Before that, at UFC 226, he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Cormier to lose his heavyweight title. Prior to the loss to ‘DC’ Miocic had the most title defenses in UFC heavyweight history with three. In his career, the 37-year-old has notable wins over Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, and Alistair Overeem.
Daniel Cormier (22-2) was looking to retire on top last August when he was rematching Miocic but lost by TKO in the fourth. In the fight before he defended his heavyweight title with a win over Derrick Lewis after becoming a champ-champ with the KO win over Miocic. In his career, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion has notable wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva, Rumble Johnson, Roy Nelson, and Frank Mir.
As the odds suggest, this truly is a pick’em fight with both fighters having a clear path to victory as evident by them being 1-1 against each other.
In both fights so far it was the underdog coming out on top with Cormier winning the first and Miocic winning the second. In this one, just like the first two fights, I think we hear Bruce Buffer say ‘And New’ with the heavyweight belt changing hands.
With the fight happening at the UFC Apex in the smaller 25-foot Octagon instead of the usual 30-foot Octagon it favors Cormier with his wrestling. In the second fight we saw Cormier have success with his wrestling as he was winning the fight until Miocic hit him with the body shots in the fourth round to get the TKO win.
Early on I expect Cormier to come out wrestling and fight hard for the takedowns but end up getting them. Later on in the fight, I believe as both men will tire out Miocic will start stuffing the takedowns. But, it will be too little too late as I believe Cormier will fix his defense to block the body shots and do enough with his wrestling and striking to earn a decision win or perhaps a late TKO win.
Pick: Daniel Cormier (-110)
Miocic vs Cormier Stats
| 37 | Age | 41 |
| 6’4″ | Height | 5’11” |
| 80″ | Reach | 72.5″ |
| 9 | UFC finishes | 7 |
Does O’Malley’s Hype Train Keep on Rolling?
Sean O’Malley (12-0) is set for his third fight of 2020 after scoring a walk-off KO win over Eddie Wineland back in June at UFC 250. Before that, he had a first-round TKO over Jose Alberto Quinonez and is a perfect 4-0 inside the Octagon.
Marlon Vera (17-6-1) is coming off a controversial decision loss to Song Yadong where many pundits believe Vera won the fight. The loss snapped his five-fight winning streak. He has notable wins over Frankie Saenz, Andre Ewell, Brad Pickett, and Brian Kelleher.
This fight is perfect matchmaking for O’Malley as if O’Malley can get past Vera the hype is no doubt real and he should get a top-10 opponent next.
Ultimately, I do believe the hype is real and I think O’Malley will be a future title challenger if not a champion. In this one, he will have the striking advantage and should be able to stuff the takedowns of Vera and in the second round eventually drop Vera to get a TKO win to remain undefeated.
If you are going to bet this one, bet O’Malley now as by fight night I believe he will be around a -400 favorite, but if you like Vera I’d wait closer to Saturday.
Pick: Sean O’Malley (-315)
Other UFC 252 Picks:
- Junior dos Santos (+134): I’m not sold on Roznestruik and I believe JDS can use his wrestling to beat Rozenstruik. He will also be faster to avoid the power shot. At +134 I love these current odds on the former champ.
- Merab Dvalishvili (-180): Dvalishvili should be able to use his wrestling to grind out a win over Dodson. But, -180 is about the highest I’d pay for Merab so bet him now if you like him.
- Magomed Ankalaev (-315): Ankalaev won the first scrap by controversial TKO. I believe he is the better fighter but at -315 I think it is a dog-or-pass.
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
