The UFC is returning to Boston this weekend for the first time in four years and they are bringing a stacked lineup headlined by two championship bouts. In the main event, UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will defend his title against one of the most popular fighters on the roster in Sean O’Malley. Meanwhile, UFC Strawweight champion Zhang Weili begins her second reign as champion when she attempts to defend her belt against Amanda Lemos in the co-main event. Let’s take a look at some interesting prop bets to consider for this card:
Gregory Rodrigues by Submission (+225 on DraftKings)
Rodrigues is 13-5 with 11 wins via stoppage and he will be looking to get back into the win column this weekend against Denis Tiuliulin. “Robocop” is a very well-rounded fighter who has solid power in his striking and is also very dangerous on the ground. Tiuliulin is 11-7 in his career and he has gone 1-2 thus far in the UFC with both losses via submission. Nine of his wins have come via KO/TKO, meaning he is only 2-7 when he hasn’t found one. While Tiuliulin will be dangerous on the feet in the striking exchanges, Rodrigues should have a massive grappling advantage in this matchup and I expect him to take advantage of it for the submission.
Ian Garry to Win Inside the Distance (-135 on DraftKings)
Garry is 12-0 with eight of his wins coming via stoppage and he is currently one of the top prospects in the welterweight division. He will be taking on Neil Magny, who is 28-10 in his career and accepted this fight as a short notice replacement. Garry has excellent striking and he has largely cruised to a 5-0 record in the promotion thus far with the last two by KO/TKO. Magny is one of the most experienced fighters in the division, but he has been stopped in eight of his ten losses and this is a tough matchup to take on short notice. Garry will use his striking volume and power to wear down Magny, and I think he can get the stoppage in the first two rounds.
Zhang Weili by Submission (+450 on FanDuel)
Weili is 23-3 with 19 of her wins coming via stoppage. She is coming off an impressive second round submission victory over Carla Esparza to reclaim the UFC Strawweight title. Weili is an extremely well-rounded fighter who is dangerous everywhere. She will begin her second reign against a solid opponent in Amanda Lemos, who is 13-2-1 with 11 wins coming via stoppage. Lemos packs a ton of power in her striking for the division, but that will likely be her only advantage here. I expect Weili to be the better wrestler and grappler in the matchup while holding her own in the striking exchanges as well. I think she will try to ground out Lemos to neutralize her power on the feet and that she will be able to find the sub.
