Gambling 254

The UFC lightweight belt is up for grabs Saturday as reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov faces Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254.

The main card will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and is available in full on pay-per-view on ESPN+. Below, we look at the betting odds for the full UFC 254 – Khabib vs. Gaethje – fight card.

Watch all of the UFC 254 action with ESPN+ by signing up here.

The UFC 254 main event is a doozy, and a doozy of a main event deserves some doozy promos UFC 254 Odds & Promos. PointsBet: Bet $20, Win $125 if the main event lasts 60+ seconds. States: IL, IN, NJ; William Hill: Bet $5, Win $100 if Khabib lands a punch States: CO, NJ, WV; BetMGM: Bet $1 on Khabib, Win $100 if he wins. States: CO, NJ, IN, WV. Home › online gambling › Big Time Gaming Software & 254 Online Casinos Reviewed. Last Updated: October 26, 2018 On This Page.

UFC 254 fight card: Main card

All odds via BetMGM; last updated Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (-357) vs. Justin Gaethje (+275) odds

Khabib (28-0) is one of the heaviest betting favorites on the UFC 254 fight card, as he defends his lightweight crown against Gaethje (22-2). It would take a $357 bet to return a $100 profit with a win by Nurmagomedov.

Gambling 2004

A $100 bet on Gaethje as an underdog would return a profit of $275 with an upset win.

Robert Whittaker (-110) vs. Jared Cannonier (-110) odds

Whittaker (22-5) and Cannonier (13-4) meet in a middleweight bout priced as a pick ’em. It would take a $110 bet to earn a $100 profit with a win by your fighter of choice in this evenly-priced contest.

Alexander Volkov (-182) vs. Walt Harris (+150) odds

Volkov (31-8) is favored with a dramatic experience advantage over Harris (13-8, 1 NC). They’re the No. 7 and No. 10-ranked challengers, respectively, in the heavyweight division.

Jacob Malkoun (+225) vs. Phillip Hawes (-278) odds

Malkoun (4-0) makes his UFC debut as an underdog up against Hawes (8-2) in a middleweight clash. Both fighters are unranked.

Lauren Murphy (-238) vs. Liliya Shakirova (+195) odds

The fifth-ranked Murphy (13-4) is being given the betting edge over the unranked Shakirova (8-1) in a women’s flyweight bout.

Magomed Ankalaev (-312) vs. Ion Cutelaba (+250) odds

The main card opens with a light heavyweight fight between No. 11 challenger Ankalaev (13-1) and the unranked Cutelaba (15-5, 1 NC). Ankalaev is the second-biggest favorite on the main card with a $312 bet required for a profit of $100.

Special UFC 254 Betting Promotion!

Bet $1 on Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if Khabib defeats Gaethje. Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks.

New customer offer. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

UFC 254 fight card: Prelims

Stefan Struve (-110) vs. Tai Tuivasa (-110) odds

In a heavyweight bout, Struve (33-12) and Tuivasa (10-3) square off in a pick ’em. The equally-priced line offers up an equal reward with a win by either fighter.

Nathaniel Wood (+150) vs. Casey Kenney (-182) odds

Wood (17-4) is an underdog in this catch weight bout against Kenney (15-2-1). A $100 bet on Wood returns a profit of $150 with the minor upset.

Alex Oliveira (-115) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (-106) odds

Little edge is being given to Oliveira (22-8-1) as a favorite over Rakhmonov (12-0) in a welterweight fight. It will take a $115 bet for a $100 profit on the favorite, or a $106 bet for a $100 profit on the underdog.

Da-Un Jung (-357) vs. Sam Alvey (+280) odds

Jung (13-2) kicks off the preliminaries as a commanding betting favorite against Alvey (33-14, 1 NC).

UFC 254 fight card: Early prelims

Liana Jojua (+305) vs. Miranda Maverick (-400) odds

Maverick (9-2) is the chalkiest betting favorite on the entire card. It would take a $400 bet to return a profit of $100. A $100 bet on Jojua would return a profit of $305 with what would be considered a massive upset.

Joel Alvarez (-165) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (+135) odds

UFC 254 starts with a lightweight bout between Alvarez (17-2) and Yakovlev (24-9-1). The much younger Alvarez (by 10 years) is a slight betting favorite.

When is UFC 254?

The main card of UFC 254 is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The main event should begin around 4 p.m. ET.

Prelims begin at noon ET. Early prelims are set for 11 a.m. ET.

Where is UFC 254?

Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Watch or stream UFC 254

Catch the entire UFC 254 fight card, including Khabib vs. Gaethje, on Pay-Per-View on ESPN+.

Sign up for ESPN+ now and don’t miss any of the action.

Where can I bet on UFC 254?

Get some action on UFC 254 by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

MMA Junkie:

Ferguson lashes out at White: ‘Why do you treat me like sh-t?’Cormier intends to deliver unbiased commentary for Khabib’s fight

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

This article is part of our Handicapping the Octagon series.

Sometimes we just have to recognize the value spot and pull the trigger, even if it doesn't feel great. That's the situation we find ourselves in with the main event of UFC 254 when Justin Gaethje takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov. I may be going soft in my old age, as we've mixed two favorites into our plays this month, but as always, all plays fall below (-200). All lines are taken from the William Hill online sportsbook and are accurate as of the post date of this article. Without any further ado, let's get to it.

Joel Alvarez (17-2-0) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (25-10-1) Weight class: Lightweight

It's important to say at the outset that Alvarez opened as an almost (-300) favorite before the line was knocked down to its present state. While some might be alarmed at the shift towards Yakovlev, I don't see it as anything more than bettors noting the high-level UFC experience of the Russian fighter. In fact, the only thing I would say in response to the movement is 'thank you,' as it now fits the criteria to be a play in this article series. Why have I kept my confidence?

Gambling 2020

The first thing that caught my eye was how fluid and agile Alvarez moves around the cage as a tall fighter. Juxtapose this against the plodding, stiff Yakovlev and already we see a marked advantage. The next thing to note is we have an orthodox versus southpaw matchup, which means Alvarez will be able to really fire off those hard kicks to the body we saw against Joe Duffy.

Alvarez is by no means a perfect fighter: he hangs his chin in the air during striking exchanges and offers nothing in the way of takedown defense. But Yakovlev hasn't won a fight by knockout in over four years, and Alvarez has an incredible guard game that accounts for most of the 15 submission wins on his resume. I may look to fade 'El Fenomeno' going forward, but I really think he's drawn a nice matchup here, leaving me no choice but to pay the juice.

The Play:Joel Alvarez -155

Da un Jung (13-2-0) vs. Sam Alvey (33-14-0) Weight class: Light Heavyweight

Alvey has lost four in a row (two by knockout), and it seems pretty likely that Jung will be the one to officially hand him his walking papers. While this line on its own is unquestionably too wide for the level of competition Jung has faced, the style matchup here seems particularly unkind to the smiling one.

Recall that the first fighter to corner and KO Alvey to start this recent losing streak was Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. If we wanted to be incredibly kind, we would say that 'Little Nog's' best days were already behind him at the time (he recently retired), so how did he do it? He was still just as technical of a boxer as he had always been, and retained his power, along with some speed in his hands. Jung is also a technical boxer but will have a speed and athleticism advantage over Alvey (as most fighters at LHW do). He will also carry a three-inch reach advantage. Add all of this up and what you get is a fighter who should be able to find openings in Alvey's defense.

It's always a bit unnerving to pick Alvey to get finished, as he had been so durable for so long, but it just seems like he has a hard time dealing with the speed and power of the fighters at this weight class, and he will work slowly enough to let Jung sit behind his jab before finding the big shot.

The Play:Da Un Jung via KO/TKO/DQ -120

Nathanael Wood (17-4-0) vs. Casey Kenney (15-2-1) Weight class: Catchweight (140lbs)

I missed my guess on Kenney's last fight with Heili Alateng, thinking that hard counters alone would be enough to stop the smothering boxing game and hard body kicks of the 29-year-old. While Alateng didn't have a game well-rounded enough to stave off these attacks, I'm quite confident that Wood does.

The first thing that jumped out at me for this matchup is just how well Wood keeps range, which should leave him less available for the big strikes that reddened Alateng's frame in Round 1. It then becomes a question of whether Casey will be successful playing a kicking game against Wood, who looks to be a much cleaner Muay Thai striker. Lastly, we should note that Wood will have an inch of reach on Kenney, which should allow his accurate counters to find a home more easily. While Casey could fall back on his wrestling game here, Wood boasts a stout 83 percent takedown defense in his five fights and has notched three of his four UFC wins by submission.

At the end of the day, it's hard to see Kenney overwhelming Wood on the feet as he has done to recent opponents, and I think Wood is competent enough on the ground (if it gets there) to get back to his feet or potentially threaten off his back. If betting is about finding the value, it's hard to pass on this spot.

Gambling 2004 Cast

The Play:Nathaniel Wood: +150

Justin Gaethje (22-2-0) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0-0) Weight Class: Lightweight

It's impossible not to respect the prowess and accomplishments of Khabib, but getting one of the elite fighters in this division at nearly a 3-to-1 price is too good to ignore. There are several questions hanging over this fight, but the most pressing one may be 'how will Gaethje deal with a fighter who commits to a wrestling game against him?'

Gambling 2540

We have seen other fighters try to get him to the floor, but he excels at rolling through and exploding back to his feet in order to resume striking. What we haven't seen is someone who will continue working after the initial resistance from Gaethje. Why do I think he'll be up to the task? Khabib has struggled with takedowns in open space for as long as he has been in the UFC and we have yet to meet the man who can consistently pressure Gaethje up against the fence. If Khabib can't accomplish this, then he'll have to stand for 25 minutes with the retooled striking of Justin and he just hits too hard and is too tricky for me to be confident that Khabib can manage.

Gambling 2020 Laws And Regulations

To be sure, Khabib may just be able to latch onto him in a way that others couldn't, as fighters constantly report how heavy he feels in top position. I will take my chances all day with this line, however, as Gaethje has too many things going for him to be this big of an underdog.

The Play:Justin Gaethje +280