UFC 304: Early Main Card Betting Odds and Best Bets

The UFC is back in a big way this Saturday, as UFC 304 will feature two English champs defending their straps in Manchester. However, the more intriguing bouts are the first three on the main card, which are what we’ll be focusing on here. Will all of the Englishmen emerge victorious as the UFC betting odds we’re getting from sports betting sites would suggest? Or will there be a few upsets to start the UFC 304 main card? 

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Main Card UFC Betting Odds

To open the main card, No. 6 featherweight Arnold Allen will face off with No. 10 Giga Chikadze. After that, it’s on to the middleweight division, where Gregory Rodrigues will look to make it a sad homecoming for Christian Leroy Duncan. In the third fight, what we like to call the meat of the main card, one of the most exciting fighters on the roster, Bobby Green, goes against one of its most polarizing, Paddy Pimblett. All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett Lightweight Bout Betting Odds

This one could be the most exciting battle of the night, with a pair of showmen squaring off in the hopes of claiming a spot in the stacked lightweight top 15. Bobby Green (32-15-1, 1 NC) is one of the most entertaining non-ranked fighters in the UFC, and Paddy Pimblett (21-3) is someone who splits opinion with passion, though he’s likely to receive a warm welcome in Manchester, just an hour’s drive from his hometown of Liverpool.

Pimblett is the younger man by eight years, and the Liverpudlian also has a two-inch reach advantage, with both fighters standing 5’10”. Despite those pros for Pimblett, we think Green is actually the better bet here.

Despite being 37, Green has looked rejuvenated during this recent 3-1 run, and he’s the type of guy that could get under the Baddy’s skin. Pimblett has looked shaky in his last couple of outings, and the pressure of the home crowd might be too much for him. We’re taking Green straight up here at -115.

Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues Middleweight Bout Betting Odds

After dominating his two most recent fights, Gloucester, England native Christian Leroy Duncan (10-1) is getting his first big shot in the UFC against a proven entity in the promotion in Gregory Rodrigues (15-5), who is 6-2 since coming onboard with the UFC in 2021.

Yes, you read that right. Rodrigues has been on the roster for barely three years and he’s already on his ninth fight. The man stays busy, and, according to his record, fresh. But so does Duncan, who has fought four times (3-1) since signing with UFC in March 2023.

Duncan has won his fights in pretty unorthodox ways, like spinning strikes and flying knees, but we don’t expect that to happen against Rodrigues. Duncan may have dominated his last two wins, but they were against a couple of the worst fighters in the division.

With the way Duncan fights, you really never know, but we think Rodrigues has the tools to get the Englishman down to the ground and frustrate him all the way to a win, and with surprising underdog odds of +110, we’ll happily oblige.

No. 6 Arnold Allen vs. No. 10 Giga Chikadze Featherweight Bout Betting Odds

To kick off the main card at UFC 304, we get another intriguing battle between two top 10 featherweights. Arnold Allen (19-3) is desperate for a win to stay in the mix at 145 pounds after two straight unanimous decision losses, while Giga Chikadze (15-3) has been on an absolute roll recently.

While Chikadze may have a better recent record, having lost just once since 2018, Allen lost to Max Holloway (enough said) and Movsar Evloev, who is a perfect 18-0. Allen will be getting that home soil boost as a native of Ipswich (southeast England), and he’s the more crisp striker and stronger all-around fighter. However, Chikadze has never been knocked out, so we like Allen to take this one, but only by decision, at -110.