Strickland To Land Sweet Swedish Knockout

Strickland Hunting KO

Sean Strickland is one of the most explosive middleweights in the UFC, and after a series of cancellations, he gets his chance to fight.

The 30-year-old American is riding a five-fight winning streak, including top-level wins over Brendan Allen and Uriah Hall.

The sportsbook has Stickland at -220 to beat Jack Hermansson, who is a quality fighter in his own right. However, we think there is value with Strickland to win via a knockout, TKO, DQ or submission.

Bettors get much better odds of +160 for the fight to end prematurely, so those odds are worth taking.

He has been talking up a storm in press conferences, but rest assured his mind is on the task at hand. Hermansson is no slouch after fighting the likes of Marvin Vettori and Kelvin Gastelum in 2020.

“I definitely like to fight a little more often, but the higher you climb in this game, the fewer available opponents there will be, especially if you already fought some of those,” Hermansson told UFC.com “I think that’s the challenge in getting the right matchups going.”

Hermansson wants a controlled fight, but given Strickland’s recent attitude, he’s going head hunting. We can’t turn down the +160 for a finish.

Pick: Sean Strickland by KO, TKO, DQ or Sub (+160)

The Sweet Symphony of Rakhmonov

Shavkat Rakhmonov is unbeaten after 14 fights and we think the 27-year-old can make a statement.

Hailing from Uzbekistan, Rakhmonov made an impression when winning his first UFC fight via a second-round submission over Michel Prazeres, which showcased his versatility.

Betting online markets have him at -260 to beat Carlston Harris, who is 17-4. However, we don’t think Harris has much of a chance to win.

He is 2-0 since arriving in the UFC and both were stoppages, but he’s taking on a much more skilled fighter than Christian Aguilera and Impa Kasanganay.

We expect them to come out swinging, which could result in an early knockout for the favorite. Bettors get even money for a stoppage in favor of Rakhmonov and that’s a price we can’t turn down.

Pick: Shavkat Rakhmonov (Ev)

Beware of Smiling Sam

Sam Alvey isn’t getting much respect with bookmakers against Brendan Allen, but he’s worth a wager.

“Smiling Sam” is 33-16-1, so he has the experience edge and he’s dangerous on his feet. Jovial nature aside, Alvey has wins over Gian Villante and Rashard Evans.

He hasn’t won for a while, but Allen comes off a knockout loss to Chris Curtis, so he could be stunned from that performance.

UFC betting odds have Allen at -450 and we couldn’t get close to that. We priced him around -250, so we can’t turn down Alvey’s odds.

It won’t be easy for the American, but he represents value and he only needs to land one powerful punch to get the victory.

Bettors get +325 and we’ll happily include Alvey as one of best prop bets.

Pick: Sam Alvey +325