The octagon touches down at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday night for UFC 328 and features a highly anticipated middleweight title fight between champion Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland in the main event.
While UFC odds suggest this fight will end inside the distance, I’m banking on Strickland's historically good durability and 100% submission defense to hit the Over 2.5 rounds and believe it will be a good parlay piece this weekend.
Here is my best UFC 328 parlay and free betting picks for Saturday, May 9.
Best UFC 328 parlay picks
Chimaev/Strickland Over 2.5 total rounds
Bobby Green moneyline
Marco Tulio moneyline
Tatsuro Taira moneyline
Chimaev vs Strickland Over 2.5 total rounds (-135)
Khamzat Chimaev previously held a 85% finish rate through his first 12 pro fights, but since moving up to 185-pounds in the UFC, he’s become more of a grinding wrestler and has gone the distance in two of his three outings as a middleweight.
Sean Strickland has only ever been stopped inside the distance twice in 37 pro fights and has never been submitted. Chimaev, meanwhile, hasn't knocked out an opponent in nearly six years. This fight has all the makings of going into the later rounds, and we only need 2.5.
Bobby Green moneyline (-425)
Even though it’s a bit chalky, this is still too good an offer to pass up, and taking the Bobby Green moneyline is an excellent parlay piece. A winner of two-straight, “King” has looked in vintage form as of late with his high-output striking game.
His opponent, Jeremy Stephens, hasn’t won an MMA fight in nearly four years and is just 1-9 over his last 10 mixed martial arts contests overall.
Marco Tulio moneyline (-200)
Marco Tulio has proven to be a dependable volume puncher, averaging an impressive 6.69 strikes landed per minute in the UFC. This is going to bode well in a matchup versus an aging Roman Kopylov, who’s been outlanded in significant strikes in his last four fights and averages far less than his Brazilian opponent.
Expect a competitive round one, before Tulio starts to run away with it for a comfortable win down the stretch.
Tatsuro Taira moneyline (-170)
Tatsuro Taira holds a significant grappling advantage, which should be key to this matchup. His opponent, Josh Van, has only been training for five years and, although a talented striker, hasn’t had enough time to properly develop a quality ground game.
Despite only being 26 years old, Taira has been training and competing in the sport for over a decade and possesses a very high level of jiu-jitsu. The Japanese challenger has taken down 8 of 9 career opponents in the UFC and figures to utilize that advantage again in this spot en route to a victory.
Not intended for use in MA.
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