UFC 300 Preliminary Card Betting Preview & Odds

It’s not often that we get a four-fight preliminary card with six ranked fighters, but that’s how big UFC 300 is going to be. The card, which goes down at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, will see a couple of exciting featherweight bouts, a PFL champ making her UFC debut against a legend of the promotion, and a featured bout featuring Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic, both of whom are top five contenders in the light heavyweight division.

UFC 300 Preliminary Card Betting Odds - April 13

All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

No. 2 Jiri Prochazka vs. No. 5 Aleksandar Rakic Light Heavyweight Bout Odds

After two years on the shelf following surgery to repair a torn ACL, Aleksandar Rakic (14-3) chose a heck of a time to make his return to the octagon—and a heck of an opponent. Rakic likes to control the tempo and keep control over proceedings, which is an awful matchup against a wily and unpredictable fighter like Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1). 

Even Prochazka doesn’t know what he’s going to throw until he throws it, and for a guy that hasn’t fought in two years, that’s going to be a problem. If Jan Blachowicz can hurt a guy like he did Rakic, Prochazka can put them to sleep. Even if Rakic tries to bring it in tight, Prochazka is great with his muay thai and could hurt him badly in those clinch exchanges. The best bet here is on Prochazka to finish inside the distance, which sports betting sites are offering at solid +150 betting odds.

No. 8 Calvin Kattar vs. No. 2 Aljamain Sterling Featherweight Bout Odds

If this fight had taken place at the end of the year after Calvin Kattar (23-7) had the chance to put a fight under his belt, it might have been a different story. But as it stands, with Kattar coming off of knee surgery and 18 months on the shelf, Aljamain Sterling (23-4) has a great chance to stamp his arrival in the featherweight division here.

Kattar is likely going to be knocking some rust off, and while he usually has solid takedown defense, the long layoff paired with Sterling’s determination to get his opponent on the ground will make this a rough return for the Bostonian.

Sterling won’t knock out Kattar, who is the superior striker, and he’s unlikely to submit the Boston Finisher either, as Kattar hasn’t been submitted since 2008, which was his fourth ever fight. With that in mind, Sterling by decision at +125 odds seems like the safest wager that’s still offering good value.

No. 5 Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison Women’s Bantamweight Bout Odds

Holly Holm (15-6, 1 NC) will always be a UFC legend because of her epic upset win over Rhonda Rousey, but she’s 42 years now. She’s a gatekeeper, and PFL champ Kayla Harrison (16-1) is going to be the latest to blow the doors off of Holm’s gates.

Since that Rousey fight, Holm is 5-6 with a no contest, meanwhile, Harrison has been dominant, winning all but one of her 17 pro fights over the past five years. Harrison has won six by KO/TKO and six by submission, so she’s well-rounded, but Holm has only been finished twice, so we expect Harrison to win via decision (+125 odds) as a bloodied Holm once again makes it to the bell.

No. 13 Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes Featherweight Bout Odds

Diego Lopes (23-6) is coming into his fourth UFC fight, and he’s not shied away from what kind of fighter he is: he’s going to shoot for takedowns early and often. Sodiq Yusuff (13-3), who has been fighting top flight competition in the UFC since 2018, has fireworks in his mitts, so this is a classic grappler vs. striker matchup.

Yusuff’s takedown defense is actually pretty darn good, so Lopes might struggle to get him on the ground, and if he doesn’t, the massive Yusuff is going to dominate him in the stand up. We’re giving the more experienced UFC fighter the edge here, and those +120 odds for Yusuff’s moneyline don’t hurt either.