The UFC heads to Hollywood tonight for a 12-fight card headlined by a flyweight title bout, but my UFC 331 parlay targets some heavy hitters with serious knockout potential.
Iwo Baraniewski continues to put the UFC odds on notice, and the Polish light heavyweight headlines my free picks for Saturday, Sept. 19, with all the action taking place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, live on Paramount+.
Best UFC 331 parlay picks
Iwo Baraniewski by KO/TKO/DQ
Gable Steveson by KO/TKO/DQ
Ryan Gandra by KO/TKO/DQ
O’Neill / Moura to go the distance
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Iwo Baraniewski by KO/TKO/DQ
Iwo Baraniewski has exploded onto the scene in the light heavyweight division with three straight knockout wins in under a year and less than 3:30 of total Octagon time across those three fights.
The 27-year-old likes to move forward and hunt his prey, and he’ll have a willing combatant in 38-year-old Alonzo Menifield, who never shies away from a fight.
Menifield has been fighting in the UFC for nearly eight years, and the damage is finally starting to add up, as the veteran has been knocked out in each of his last three defeats.
Baraniewski is a perfect 9-0-0 in his pro career with seven knockout wins. He’ll add another KO victory to his record tonight.
Gable Steveson by KO/TKO/DQ
Gable Steveson might be the next big thing in the heavyweight division, but his upcoming bout against Sean Sharaf won’t be much of a test.
Steveson is an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, and he’s also added explosive striking skills to his repertoire since beginning his pro MMA career just a year ago.
The 26-year-old Steveson is 4-0-0 with four first-round knockouts, while 33-year-old Sharaf has been knocked out in each of his last two bouts.
This is likely a strategic matchup by the UFC to pad Steveson’s resume — he’s averaging 16.29 significant strikes per minute, while Sharaf absorbs 15 significant strikes per minute.
Expect another early finish from Steveson.
Ryan Gandra by KO/TKO/DQ
Like the Steveson-Sharaf matchup, Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz looks like another perfect setup for the up-and-comer to score a flashy KO. Gandra is 10-1-0 in his pro career with five straight knockout wins, including two first-round KOs in the UFC.
Diaz is a 35-year-old veteran who’s been knocked out three times in the past four years, and he’s just four months removed from a brutal KO loss to Ateba Gautier, another rising star in the middleweight division.
Gandra is averaging 11.71 significant strikes per minute — more than double Diaz’s output (5.33). The Brazilian will pour it on and put Diaz away.
Casey O’Neill / Eduarda Moura to go the distance
UFC fights go to a decision about 46% of the time overall, but that number jumps to nearly 64% in the women’s flyweight division.
This is expected to be a competitive tilt, with Casey O’Neill entering the bout as a 68% favorite against Eduarda Moura (33%), and I believe it will go to the final bell.
Moura has the edge in wrestling and grappling but struggles to find finishes even when she gets the fight to the ground. Each of her last four bouts has gone the distance.
O’Neill will be sharper on the feet, but she has just four knockout wins in 13 pro fights and only one KO in the past five years.
Not intended for use in MA.
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