UFC 290 takes place this weekend, July, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez for the featherweight title. Brandon Moreno, Robert Whittaker, and Bo Nickal will also be featured on the main card.
The preliminaries are not without their share of intrigue. Robbie Lawler hopes to end his career with a win, and high-level prospects Tatsuro Taira and Yazmin Jauregui are set to turn in strong performances.
Here are our free picks and predictions and UFC odds for the UFC 290 preliminaries on July 8.
UFC 290 prelim picks and predictions
Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price
• Prediction: Price ML (-240)
• Best Bet: Price by KO/TKO/DQ (+100)
Tatsuro Taira vs. Edgar Chairez
• Prediction: Taira ML (-1,050)
• Best Bet: Under 1.5 rounds (-140)
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Denise Gomes
• Prediction: Jauregui ML (-375)
• Best Bet: Over 2.5 rounds (-165)
Click on each fight to jump to the full analysis.
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Robbie Lawler vs Niko Price
Lawler has announced his retirement ahead of this fight, win, lose, or draw. Though Price is flawed to the point where Lawler could give it a go, the outcome may not weigh too heavily on Lawler’s shoulders. Also, he’s 41 years old, 1-4 in his last five, and didn’t look too good against a similarly limited Bryan Barberena in his last fight.
“The Hybrid'' has real power, with 10 knockouts in 15 wins. And though Price has a bad chin, Lawler doesn’t have the force to generate a killer KO blow, nor the gas tank to pressure him for three rounds. I’m going with Price to win by knockout.
Prediction: Price moneyline (-240 at DraftKings)
Best Bet: Price to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+100 at DraftKings)
Tatsuro Taira vs Edgar Chairez
Taira is a big favorite over Chairez, mainly due to the strength of his grappling. From what we’ve seen from Chairez thus far, his submission defense is a liability. Taira is developing into a flyweight to watch, and this fight should give him a chance to continue developing.
Chairez is tough but conservative with his offense and likely not wily enough to escape from the ground when he gets there. Taira is also more on the judicious side when it comes to establishing his offense, but he makes it count when he gets in an advantageous position. I like Taira to shut Chairez down early, so bet the Under.
Prediction: Taira moneyline (-1,050 at DraftKings)
Best Bet: Under 1.5 rounds (-140 at DraftKings)
Yazmin Jauregui vs Denise Gomes
Jauregui is becoming a fighter to watch, and she is primed for another strong performance against Gomes. The Mexican works with a lot of pressure and has real stopping power, beating each of her last two opponents inside the distance. Gomes isn’t as overmatched as the odds indicate, but she’s going to be a step behind Jauregui.
Because Gomes tends to let her opponents dictate the pace, she’s going to get worked over early. Once Jauregui starts opening her up, this could very well be another stoppage win for her, unless Gomes can score a takedown and try to run the clock. I am eyeing a potential late stoppage for Jauregui, but I feel the fight going Over 2.5 rounds is the best bet to make here.
Prediction: Jauregui moneyline (-375 at DraftKings)
Best Bet: Over 2.5 rounds (-165 at DraftKings)
