UFC Vegas 47 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Hermansson vs Strickland

• A battle of top-10 middleweights collide in the main event of UFC Vegas 47
• Does the winner earn the next title shot?
• See the UFC Vegas 47 odds below, along with our best bet predictions for the main card

The UFC returns after a week off for a very intriguing middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland which headlines UFC Vegas 47 on Saturday, February 5 at the UFC Apex. Strickland is favored in the UFC Vegas 47 odds. The co-main event sees Punahele Soriano battle Nick Maximov, also in a middleweight bout.

UFC Vegas 47 airs live on ESPN+ at 7 PM EST. The table below shows UFC Vegas 47 odds for the main card at Barstool Sportsbook followed by best bets.

UFC Vegas 47 Odds

Odds as of January 31 at Caesars Sportsbook

Hermansson vs Strickland Odds, Prediction and Best Bet

This is a very good fight as both Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland are considered the dark horses of the middleweight division. Hermansson arguably has the best grappling in the top-10 at middleweight which could cause Israel Adesanya problems. Strickland, meanwhile, is a phenomenal boxer and always comes forward with non-stop pressure that breaks opponents.

Ultimately, the oddsmakers list Strickland who is undefeated at middleweight since moving up after a near-fatal motorcycle accident that had him sidelined from October 2018 to October 2020.

Hermansson vs Strickland Recent Fights

In order for Hermansson to win this fight, he will need to get this fight down and use his jiu-jitsu. However, his striking has gotten better, while both men have proven they have the cardio to go five rounds which make this intriguing.

Hermansson vs Strickland Stats

The first round will be very telling of this fight. When Strickland was at welterweight he wasn’t as durable and his takedown defense was okay but fighters were able to get him down. At middleweight, that hasn’t been tested but there is no question Hermansson will look for takedowns early and often. If he can’t get Strickland down, his path to victory will be very small, and it will only give Strickland confidence.

Ultimately, I expect Hermansson to have some success with the grappling, but Strickland will be able to keep the fight standing. On the feet, he is the better boxer and will press forward and trash-talk Hermansson mid-fight to throw him off, which he has done to other opponents. This fight could look very similar to the Vettori one where Vettori drops Hermansson but can’t finish him and just outboxes him to win a decision.

Strickland isn’t known for his KO power so take Strickland by decision or the over in this fight to get better value. The over is listed at 4.5 priced at -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Pick: Sean Strickland (-210)

Soriano Favored in UFC Vegas 47 Odds

The co-main event is a battle of two prospects at middleweight, in a fight that is very similar to the main event. Punahele Soriano is a great boxer while Nick Maximov, the protege of Nick and Nate Diaz, is known for his grappling and wrestling to grind out fights.

Soriano & Maximov Recent Fights

Maximov is just like the Diaz brothers as he will fight anyone, anytime as he usually fights at 185lbs. But, when his opponent dropped out on the Contender Series, in order to remain on the card and fight in front of Dana White he moved all the way up to heavyweight to fight Oscar Cota that weighed 263.5lbs and still won. However, this fight against Soriano is a tough one.

Soriano is a great boxer and is very durable. He comes from a good camp at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, and I expect him to be able to stuff the takedown attempts of Maximov and either get a late TKO win or a decision win. Regardless, Soriano moneyline still has value, but he also is a solid parlay piece for Saturday.

Pick: Punahele Soriano (-200)

Other UFC Vegas 47 Picks:

1. Shavkat Rakhmonov (-240): Rakhmonov is the real deal, and will score a submission win here. He’s a great parlay piece.
2. Phil Hawes (-340): Hawes should use his wrestling to win this fight, but at -360 he doesn’t have value, and this is a stay away fight as we have seen him get knocked out in fights he is a big favorite in.
3. Tresean Gore (-165): Gore and Battle were supposed to fight in the finals of TUF, but they fight now, and I expect Gore to TKO Battle in the first or second round.
4. Steven Peterson (+240): To me, this is a pick’em fight, so the value is on Peterson to land the better strikes and edge out a decision.