UFC Vegas 34 Odds, Picks and How to Bet Cannonier vs Gastelum

• Jared Cannonier returns since breaking his arm at UFC 254 against Kelvin Gastelum
• Olympian Mark O. Madsen finally returns to the Octagon in the co-main event
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Vegas 34 main card, below

The UFC is back at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 34 on August 21st, 2021 after a rare weekend off. In the main event, middleweight contenders collide as Jared Cannonier takes on Kelvin Gastelum. The co-main event features Clay Guida taking on the undefeated and Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, Mark O. Madsen.

UFC Vegas 34 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. Make sure to check out the latest sportsbook promos before placing your bets for UFC Vegas 34.

UFC Vegas 34 Odds

Odds as of August 16th

Who Returns to the Win Column?

Jared Cannonier has not fought since October of 2020 where he suffered a three-round decision loss to Robert Whittaker in a fight he broke his arm just a minute into the fight. Despite that, he had success and even rocked Whittaker in the third. Gastelum, meanwhile, stepped up on short notice in April and dropped a decision to Whittaker and is now just 1-4 in his last five and could be fighting for his job.

Cannonier & Gastelum Recent Fights

Cannonier has had a weird career as a legit UFC middleweight contender. He started his career as a heavyweight and went 1-1 before dropping down to light heavyweight. He then fought the who’s who of the division like Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, and Dominick Reyes and went 2-3 before becoming a middleweight and looking better than ever.

Gastelum, meanwhile, is an undersized middleweight and the knock-on him has been his wins are over old fighters who have since retired/parted ways with the UFC.

Cannonier & Gastelum Stats

I don’t like this matchup for Gastelum, as I don’t like most of the matchups for him in the top-10, especially the top-five of the middleweight division. The book is out on Gastelum as he doesn’t have the KO power many thought he had and he leaves his head on the centerline to get picked apart, as Whittaker did to him in April.

Gastelum’s wrestling also isn’t good enough to get Cannonier down and on the feet, Cannonier is the much better striker, and has more power. I expect Cannonier to just pick apart Gastelum, and win a clear-cut decision. To me, he should be above a -200 favorite, so there is a ton of value on Cannonier’s line in the UFC Vegas 34 odds.

Pick: Jared Cannonier (-150)

Will Guida Turn Back the Clock?

Clay Guida has 56 professional fights, but he’ll have his hands full on Saturday against the 10-0 Mark O. Madsen, who won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics in wrestling and has looked great in the UFC.

Guida & Madsen Recent Fights

The key to this fight is whether or not Mark O. Madsen will have ring rust as he has not fought since UFC 248 in March of 2020. He is only 2-0 in the UFC but gets a well-known veteran in Guida who has had mixed results as of late.

Guida will likely have the cardio advantage as he doesn’t get tired but I do think Madsen’s wrestling will be too much as he will likely get Guida down and then look for the stoppage. Guida is durable that I don’t think a TKO will happen, but perhaps he gets a submission win, but more likely is a decision victory.

Pick: Mark O. Madsen (-160)

Other UFC Vegas 34 Main Card Picks:

1. Chase Sherman (-190): Sherman is the better striker and should be able to pick apart Porter for however long it lasts.
2. Vinc Pichel (-110): This is a tough fight to call, but I think Pichel’s takedown defense will be huge here and on the feet, he is the better striker to earn a very close decision win.
3. Alexandre Pantoja (-170): Pantoja is the real deal and he is the better striker, and will just out volume Royval on the feet to win a decision.
4. Trevin Jones (-180): Jones is legit, and he has insane power. I expect him to get another KO victory.