UFC Vegas 24 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Whittaker vs Gastelum
- Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum finally meet after their canceled 2018 scrap
- Does the winner earn a rematch with Israel Adesanya?
- See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Vegas 24 main card, below
The UFC remains at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 24 which goes down on Saturday, April 17th, 2021. In the main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker faces short-notice replacement, Kelvin Gastelum, who replaces Paulo Costa. The co-main event sees Drakkar Klose welcome Jeremy Stephens back to the lightweight division.
UFC Vegas 24 airs live on ESPN at 10 PM EST. The table below shows odds for the main card at DraftKings, followed by best bets for the event.
UFC Vegas 24 Odds
| Fighter | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Robert Whittaker | -265 |
| Kelvin Gastelum | +210 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Drakkar Klose | +110 |
| Jeremy Stephens | -137 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Andrei Arlovski | -162 |
| Chase Sherman | +132 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Abdul Razak Alhassan | -335 |
| Jacob Malkoun | +245 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Luis Pena | -139 |
| Alex Munoz | +110 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Ricardo Ramos | -113 |
| Bill Algeo | -113 |
Odds as of April 12
[promoted-sportsbook]Does Whittaker Keep it Going at UFC Vegas 24?
Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum were supposed to fight at UFC 234 in February of 2018 for Whittaker’s middleweight title, but the champ was forced out of the bout on the day of the event. Now, three years later, the two will finally get the share the Octagon with one another.
Whittaker & Gastelum Recent Fights
| Jared Cannonier, win by decision | Fight 1 | Ian Heinisch, win by decision |
| Darren Till, win by decision | Fight 2 | Jack Hermansson, loss by submission |
| Israel Adesanya, loss by TKO (title fight) | Fight 3 | Darren Till, loss by split decision |
| Yoel Romero, win by split decision (title fight) | Fight 4 | Israel Adesanya, loss by decision (interim title fight) |
To me, this is a much more intriguing fight than Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa would’ve been, as I thought Whittaker would’ve run through the Brazilian. In this fight, Gastelum is super durable and has a ton of power that he can make this fight interesting, he also can mix in his grappling to have success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW1oG4xqzYc&ab_channel=UFC-UltimateFightingChampionship
However, since losing his belt, Whittaker had looked phenomenal as he mixed in his wrestling and striking against Darren Till and came close to finishing Jared Cannonier at UFC 254. Although Gastelum beat Heinisch last time out, I do still wonder how his confidence level is, as after the beating he took to Adesanya, he struggled to pull the trigger against Till and Hermansson and tapped early into the fight.
Whittaker & Gastelum Stats
| 30 | Age | 29 |
| 6’0″ | Height | 5’9″ |
| 73.5″ | Reach | 71.5″ |
| 5 | UFC finishes | 5 |
Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum should be an entertaining fight, but I expect the former champ to control the fight with his striking and grappling. Gastelum does have fight-ending power, and we have seen Whittaker be rocked in fights several times, yet I expect Whittaker to use his kicks and jab to not let Gastelum get inside.
Eventually, Whittaker will frustrate Gastelum and he will try to rush in and that is when the former champ will use his wrestling to take him down. Whittaker is better everywhere and will be able to cruise to a decision as Gastelum is super durable.
Pick: Robert Whittaker (-265)
Is This Do-Or-Die For Jeremy Stephens?
Jeremy Stephens is 0-4 and one No Contest in his last five and is now moving up to lightweight to battle Drakkar Klose in a very intriguing matchup. Although Stephens is on a losing skid he was only fighting the best of the best at featherweight, and Klose is a step down from that.
Klose & Stephens Recent Fights
| Beneil Dariush, loss by KO | Fight 1 | Calvin Kattar, loss by TKO |
| Christos Giagos, win by decision | Fight 2 | Yair Rodriguez, loss by decision |
| Bobby Green, win by decision | Fight 3 | Yair Rodriguez, No Contest (eye poke) |
| Lando Vannata, win by submission | Fight 4 | Zabit Magomedsharipov, loss by decision |
Even though Stephens is losing, he still is having moments in the fight and has fight-ending power. However, as he moves back to lightweight, this could be it for the veteran if he loses to Klose on Saturday.
Although Klose hasn’t fought since March of 2020, I do think he is a better mixed martial artist than Stephens and will be able to use his jab and wrestling to frustrate Stephens. I think Stephens will come out aggressive looking for that finish, and outside the Dariush KO loss, Klose has been very durable. This will be a close fight, but I like Klose to be able to win a decision in a back-and-forth fight.
Pick: Drakkar Klose (+110)
Other UFC Vegas 24 Picks:
- Chase Sherman (+132): Sherman will bring the fight to Arlovski and likely get him out of there or win a clear-cut decision.
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (-335): The UFC wants Abdul to get back into the win column, and he should get a first-round KO early into the fight.
- Luis Pena (-139): Pena should be able to keep it standing and outstrike Munoz to win a very competitive decision.
- Ricardo Ramos (-113): Ramos will mix in his grappling and striking and win a decision, but this is a pick’em fight for a reason as this is the closest fight on the card.
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.
