UFC Odds Against Upset-Minded McKenna
A battle of 7-2 fighters is the featured prelim bout for UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Cheyanne Vlismas, the striker, enters as the favorite on the UFC betting lines. Cory McKenna, the grappler, will look to spring the upset as she did in her UFC debut against Kay Hansen.
Let’s check the latest UFC fight card, stats, and UFC predictions for Vlismas vs McKenna. We’ve plenty of UFC fight night odds for you to consider.
McKenna is Team Alpha Male’s Latest Prospect
As the next highly-touted prospect out of Team Alpha Male, McKenna is straightforward: win by wrestling. At 5-foot-3, she’s built more like an atom weight. But this diminutive stature also helps her impose her grappling. She lands 2.06 takedowns per 15 minutes and has a win by a Von Flue Choke – the first for a woman in the UFC.
Cory McKenna becomes the first woman in UFC history to earn a Von Flue choke submission 👏 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/QrCvygnPWz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2022
McKenna has also been active and enters her third fight for the year. This works well for wrestlers such as herself as she will be putting on pressure for as long as this fight goes on. The danger for her becomes if she “forgets” she’s a wrestler and tries to hang around striking range too long.
The Welsh fighter has the shortest reach in the UFC at just 58½ inches. It may be harder for her to mix it up and disguise her takedown attempts. Alternatively, she may just be able to spam her takedowns and tire Vlismas out. At an underdog price on the online sportsbook, it’s worth considering.
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
Vlismas a Shaky Favorite at Best
With all due respect, it’s hard to bet online on a fighter who gets manhandled and held down for almost all 15 minutes. That was Vlismas against Montserrat Ruiz in a fight that will forever live in infamy. Since then, Vlismas has rattled off two consecutive wins and has looked better.
Still, “The Warrior Princess” remains untested in the grappling category. A prolific wrestler like McKenna could outwork her in that department and beat her. But if Vlismas has learned a lot from her new boyfriend, Roman Dolidze, she’ll be ready to either sprawl or defend herself when McKenna takes the fight there.
If Vlismas is much improved in grappling, she could be the best UFC bet on Saturday. Still, her current betting line is quite hefty considering she’s just as much a work-in-progress as most 2-1 fighter in the UFC.
Vlismas vs McKenna Head-to-Head
While both Vlismas and McKenna are the same height, the former has a 4½-inch reach advantage. Both fight in the orthodox stance. McKenna is four years younger than Vlismas.
Vlismas vs McKenna Fight Information
- Fighters: Vlismas (7-2-0) vs McKenna (7-2-0)
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Day/Time: Saturday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m. ET
- Vlismas vs McKenna Live stream: UFC Fight Pass
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Vlismas vs McKenna Betting Lines
Vlismas vs McKenna Picks & Prediction
At the current lines, this is a classic case of a “dog or pass” type of bet. It depends who can assert their game plan more. Vlismas will look to keep this fight standing and outstrike McKenna. The underdog will need to mix it up and get Vlismas to the ground to win. It’s nearly a 50-50 proposition so betting McKenna is the way to go.
Cheyanne Vlismas is listed at -200 in our Vegas UFC lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Vlismas, you can win $50. Cory McKenna is +160, offering a chance to win $160 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Vlismas a 66.67% chance to win, with McKenna at 38.46%.
