UFC Vegas 31 Odds, Picks and How to Bet Makhachev vs Moises

• Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé Islam Makhachev headlines his first UFC event at UFC Vegas 31 on Saturday, July 17th, 2021
• Former UFC champ Miesha Tate ends her retirement to come back and fight Marion Reneau in the co-main
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Vegas 31 main card, below

After the UFC was in front of a sold-out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, they remain in Vegas but will be at the crowd less UFC Apex on Saturday, July 17th, 2021 for UFC Vegas 31. In the main event, top-15 lightweights collide as Islam Makhachev battles Thiago Moises in a very intriguing matchup.

The co-main event sees former UFC champion, Miesha Tate make her return to the sport after retiring back in 2016 to face Marion Reneau, who has announced this will be her retirement fight. UFC Vegas 31 main card airs live on ESPN at 10 PM EST. The table below shows odds for the main card at DraftKings followed by best bets.

UFC Vegas 31 Odds

Odds as of July 12

Will Makhachev Rise to the Occasion?

After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, the former UFC champ along with former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ, Daniel Cormier both said Makhachev will be the next fighter from their team to become a UFC champ. Both men have sung his praises saying he is on the same level as Khabib, but he’ll have a tough test in front of him in Thiago Moises.

Makhachev & Moises Recent Fights

This is a really intriguing matchup as both Makhachev and Moises are known for their grappling, so it will be interesting to see who is better on the mat. Makhachev is more of a wrestler who, like Khabib, is able to get their opponents down and hold them there and land vicious ground and pound. Moises, meanwhile, is more of a jiu-jitsu fighter who searches for submissions and is dangerous off his back.

On the feet, both Makhachev and Moises aren’t known for their striking but Moises has looked good on the feet as of late. He was able to outstrike both Alexander Hernandez and Bobby Green to get the decision wins. However, the big question is how will they fare fighting five rounds, as Moises went five rounds twice when he was the RFA champ while Makhachev has never.

Makhachev & Moises Stats

Although the main event of this card was supposed to be Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez, this is still a very good fight and a very meaningful fight. I do think the first couple minutes of the first round will be them striking with one another as they try to figure out each other’s skill on the feet.

After a couple of minutes, I do expect Makhachev to shoot for a takedown, and if he doesn’t get it, he will keep on shooting for it. Makhachev seems like he will have the cardio to go five rounds. However, I doubt it will get there. After the Dagestani native holds Moises down for a couple of rounds, I expect him to get the ground and pound TKO win in the third or fourth round to pick up arguably the biggest win of his career.

Pick: Islam Makhachev (-625)

How Will Tate Fare in Her Return?

When Miesha Tate was booked to make her return against Marion Reneau, the news came out of nowhere, but the former champ says the pandemic made her realize she still has that desire to compete.

Tate & Reneau Recent Fights

This is a very intriguing matchup due to the fact Reneau is 44-years-old and on a four-fight losing skid, but this is her retirement fight, and there’s no doubt she wants to end with a win. Tate, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since 2016 so it’s hard to know how she will look, but there’s no question had they fought in 2016, Tate would’ve been a big favorite.

Ultimately, I do expect Tate to be able to use her striking and grappling to grind out a very close decision win. Reneau has never been finished in her career, and I don’t think Tate will be able to, but she will return in a big way with a decision win.

Pick: Miesha Tate (-125)

Other UFC Vegas 31 Picks:

1. Mateusz Gamrot (-250): Gamrot is someone I’ve been high on for a while, and I expect him to be able to pick apart Stephens and eventually find the TKO in the second round.
2. Rodolfo Vieira (-250): Vieira should be able to submit Stolzfus, however, he has about four minutes of cardio, so it’s hard to lay -250 on him.
3. Billy Quarantillo (+165): I’m surprised by the odds here as Quarantillo should be able to out-volume Benitez and bring it on late to win a decision as he’s known for his cardio.