UFC 260: Miocic vs Ngannou 2 Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC heavyweight title is up for grabs this Saturday night at UFC 260: Miocic vs Ngannou 2.

In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will defend his title against top contender Francis Ngannou in a rematch of the UFC 220 headliner. An interesting welterweight showdown between former champion Tyron Woodley and rising prospect Vicente Luque will serve as the appetizer for the heavyweight finale.

Let’s take a look at the bouts on the main card of UFC 260 and make our predictions:

Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou 2

Stipe Miocic is the current and two-time UFC heavyweight champion. The 38-year old from Cleveland, Ohio is a former Golden Gloves boxing champion and NCAA Division I, wrestler. The no. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC is considered the most dominant heavyweight champion in the history of the UFC with a total of four title defenses across two reigns as champion. He has a record of 20-3 with 15 knockouts. Miocic stands 6-4 tall with a reach of 80 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Francis Ngannou is the no. 1 ranked heavyweight contender in the promotion. The Predator is the most feared puncher in the sport with a record of 15-3 with 11 knockouts and four wins via submission. Ngannou has won his last four bouts, all via first round knockout, after suffering back-to-back losses to Miocic, and Derrick Lewis. This is Ngannou’s second crack at Miocic who beat him at UFC 220. The Predator is 6-4 tall with a reach of 83 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

No doubt that Ngannou has a chance to win any fight against any opponent because of his freakish punching power. But when you analyze this rematch, you always come back to their first bout and how Miocic dominated Ngannou with a steady diet of takedowns, pressure, and volume. Ngannou hasn’t changed much since that fight or at least that’s what we’ve seen in his recent bouts. His knockout power has been both a blessing and a curse for him as he has not been able to showcase anything else, if at all. Unless Miocic makes a mistake of running into one of Ngannou’s bombs at full strength, I think that the champion is tough enough to survive the early onslaught and beat Ngannou in another decision.

Prediction: Stipe Miocic

Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque

Tyron Woodley is the former UFC welterweight champion and a former NCAA Division I, wrestler. The 38-year old from Ferguson, Missouri is currently the no. 7 ranked welterweight in the UFC but he heads to this bout having lost his last three bouts. Woodley won the UFC welterweight title by knocking out Robbie Lawler at UFC 201. He successfully defended the title four times, including one draw, before losing it to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. Woodley has a record of 19-6 with seven knockouts and five wins via submission. The Chosen One is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 74 inches

Vicente Luque is the no. 10 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 29-year old from Westwood, New Jersey fought for various promotions in Brazil before joining the UFC in 2015. After a slow start, Luque has won 12 out of his last 14 bouts and heads to this matchup with back-to-back wins over Niko Price or Randy Brown. He has an overall record of 19-7 with 11 knockouts and six wins via submission. Luque stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 75 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Luque has looked great in his recent bouts and his knockout power is scintillating to watch. However, he’s failed against elite competition like Stephen Thompson and Leon Edwards. While Woodley has lost his last three bouts, the quality of opposition he’s lost to is better than the ones that Luque has beaten. There’s no question that Luque is younger and hungrier than Woodley. I may be a fool for picking the big name over the up and comer but Luque has never fought someone like Woodley before. I think Woodley is no longer the dominant force he was when he was champion. But Luque has failed against top-level competition and he will fail against Woodley too.

Prediction: Tyron Woodley

Sean O’ Malley vs Thomas Almeida

Sean O’Malley fought for Intense Fighting Championship and the LFA before starring in the Contender Series. After earning a UFC contract, the 26-year old from Helena, Montana won his first four UFC bouts, earning post-fight bonuses in three consecutive bouts. Sugar suffered his first professional loss at the hands of Marlon Vera at UFC 252, losing the fight via first-round TKO. He has a record of 12-1 with eight knockouts and one submission victory. He stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a switch hitter.

Thomas Almeida is a former Legacy FC bantamweight champion who relinquished his belt to join the UFC in 2014. The 29-year old from Sao Paulo, Brazil won his first four UFCbouts including three via knockout. Since then, he’s dropped four out of his last five bouts, including his last three. Almeida has a record of 22-4 with 17 knockouts and one win via submission. He is a southpaw who stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 70 inches.

This looks like a fight tailor-made to make Sean O’Malley look good as he tries to bounce back after an upset loss to Marlon Vera. Almeida has knockout power and he is primarily a striker but that’s what O’Malley wants. Without being in danger of getting dragged to the ground, Sugar will look good here. Almeida will try to force a brawl here and he should be able to connect on some of his punches. However, O’Malley is slicker on the feet and while it will be a firefight early, Almeida will eventually get caught and O’Malley should be able to rebuild his brand.

Prediction: Sean O’ Malley

Gillian Robertson vs Miranda Maverick

Gillian Robertson is the 15th ranked female flyweight in the UFC and a competitor at TUF 26. The 25-year old from Niagara Fall, Ontario in Canada is the winningest female flyweight in the UFC. She is 6-3 inside the UFC Octagon and is coming off a loss to Talia Santos last December. Robertson is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 63 inches. She has a record of 9-5 with one knockout and six wins via submission.

This bout may be the toughest to pick in this fight card. Both women are very good grapplers and I can’t say who the better one is, at least on the ground. Maverick, however, has better striking, and if she mixes that with her ground game, she’ll get the decision here. Robertson has had her shares of ups and downs and it’s Maverick who has more upside between the two. This could be close but Maverick has more ways to win this fight than Robertson.

Prediction: Miranda Maverick

Khama Worthy vs Jamie Mullarkey

Khama Worthy was the inaugural 246 Fighting Championship lightweight champion. The 34-year old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is joined the UFC in 2019 and won his first two Octagon bouts via stoppage. In his last fight, however, Worthy was knocked out by Ottman Azaitar in September 2020. Worthy is an orthodox fighter who is 5-11 tall with a reach of 74 inches.

Jamie Mullarkey fought for BFW, Brace FC, and Super Fight MMA before joining the UFC in 2019. Mullarkey is 0-2 inside the UFC Octagon with losses to Brad Riddell and Fares Ziam. The 26-year old from New South Wales in Australia has a record of 12-4 with eight knockouts and three submission victories. He is an orthodox fighter who stands six feet tall with a reach of 74 inches.

Worthy is the kind of fighter who gets the finish or gets finished, so he’s hard to read. What’s clear though is that when that bell sounds, he will come out swinging for the fences until his opponent gets dropped. If Mullarkey survives that opening salvo, he’s got a chance because worthy tends to slow down late in the fight. However, I’m not sure if he’s able to last long. For as long as Worthy doesn’t freeze out there and stops letting his hands go, there’s no way Mullarkey is going to last.

Prediction: Khama Worthy

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