Picks for UFC Fight Night 148: Justin Willis Poised to Pull Off Upset

• UFC Fight Night 148: Thompson vs Pettis takes place on March 23rd in Nashville, Tennessee
• There are multiple compelling underdog opportunities on this card
• We’ve rounded up the three best bets for this can’t-miss event

UFC brings their travelling show to Nashville this coming Saturday, March 23rd with UFC Fight Night 148: Thompson vs Pettis. The card will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena.

The headlining bout is a compelling striking showcase between former two-time Welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and former Lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

Other than the headliner, the event presents a number of intriguing fights across many weight divisions. The best bets and odds for UFC Fight Night 148: Thompson vs Pettis can be found below.

Hill Gets the Win Over Markos

There’s a lot of parity in the women’s strawweight division. Both women are 3-3 in their last six bouts and have a few mutual opponents through that stretch. Hill is a former Invicta FC champion and Markos has netted a victory over a former UFC champion (Carla Esparza).

Randa Markos vs Angela Hill Odds

*All odds taken 03/19/19

Markos is ranked at #15 and Hill is #16, per Tapology’s rankings system, so this bout has divisional importance. There’s some value in betting on Markos considering the aforementioned parity in the division.

My latest for @FightfulMMA – Randa Markos reacts to #GeorgesStPierre retirement, talks about her bad blood with Angela Hill ahead of their #UFCNashville matchup on Mar. 23 and how she almost fought Mackenzie Dern https://t.co/THzBQLXJwq pic.twitter.com/n0fRuxlHvv

— James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) February 22, 2019

I think it will be a close one but I’m going with Angela “Overkill” Hill. I just think Angela has more tools at her disposal which she’ll showcase at UFC Fight Night 148: Thompson vs Pettis.

Pick: Angela Hill (-155)

Willis Edges Blaydes

Justin Willis and Curtis Blaydes spotlights two top 10 UFC Heavyweights vying for a big W.

Willis trains out of AKA, is riding an eight fight win streak, and his last victory is over K1/ MMA veteran Mark Hunt. Blaydes is a proven heavyweight with wins over the aforementioned Hunt as well as Alistair Overeem. Curtis is coming off of a tough loss though; a 45 second first round knockout to Francis Ngannou.

Curtis Blaydes vs Justin Willis Odds

Heavyweight is another division with a lot of parity which is why I like Willis as an underdog. The value is with Willis and I would bet on Justin in this bout at UFC Fight Night 148.

"To me that's cowardice." — @BigPrettyMMA takes issue with the way Curtis Blaydes and Brock Lesnar fought Mark Hunt as opposed to his own fight with "The Super Samoan."@MMAjunkie @MMAjunkieRadio @MMAjunkieGeorge @thegoze pic.twitter.com/P6IfApL39u

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) March 13, 2019

Willis trains with the present Heavyweight champion (Daniel Cormier) and one of the all time great Heavyweights (Cain Velasquez). I think Justin’s streak coupled with where he trains will net him a victory over Blaydes.

Pick: Justin Willis (+240)

Formiga Outpaces Figueiredo

This has the makings for a high stakes fight with Formiga being ranked #1 and Figueiredo being ranked #4, per UFC. This bout could very well determine a future Flyweight title contender in 2019.

Jussier Formiga vs Deiveson Figueiredo Odds

It’s also an intriguing crossroads fight. Figueiredo is the hotshot 15-0 contender whose last performance was a R2 body shot stoppage over ex-UFC Flyweight title challenger John Dodson.

Formiga has a lengthy history in the sport and is an OG at 125 lbs.

Formiga meanwhile has a lengthy history in the sport and is an OG at 125 lbs. In the wild west days of the Flyweight class before it was an instantiated UFC weight class, Formiga was ubiquitously regarded as the best 125er by MMA hardcores.

WOW!!! Spectacular finish from @JussierFormiga at #UFC221! pic.twitter.com/hgIaDAwuTY

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 11, 2018

Of the five career losses that Formiga has, they all came against the cream of the crop. Formiga is coming off of two highlight reel finishes and a W over Sergio Pettis (a man many thought could contend for the title).

I think Jussier gets it done and he may finally secure that long elusive UFC Flyweight championship prize fight.

Pick: Formiga (+145)