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With UFC 296 going down on Saturday night, we thought it best to run through the full main card and prelims. Read on to find out our exclusive UFC 296 undercard picks and betting predictions ahead of Saturday’s bumper card from the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
There are a total of 13 fights on the undercard for you to get your teeth stuck into this weekend on the UFC 296 pay-per-view event, prior to the Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington main event.
Of course, if you want to check out our predictions and betting picks for the main event, you can do so by clicking the link: Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington betting picks & predictions.
Without further ado, here are our UFC 296 undercard picks – including Pimblett vs Ferguson, Pantoja vs Royval and much more.
UFC 296 Undercard Picks
Paddy Pimblett vs Tony Ferguson Prediction
Britain’s lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett goes into Saturday’s fight as the betting favorite with the best offshore sportsbooks. It is clear to see why this is the case, given the fact he has beaten everyone put in front of him in the UFC, with UFC President Dana White feeding him his toughest test to date.
‘Paddy The Baddy’ faces the toughest test of his career against ‘El Cucuy’, looking to make it five straight wins in the UFC. Ferguson himself is on a six fight losing streak and looks a shadow of his former self now.
Here at SportsLens, we can see Pimblett getting the job done in style. The Liverpudlian is an elite wrestler with elite ground game, and we think he could end up submitting Ferguson in their light bout on the UFC 296 undercard.
According to the best US sportsbooks, Pimblett’s best chance of winning is via submission. We are in total agreement here and think Pimblett will hand Ferguson a seventh straight defeat. If you want to tune in and watch Paddy Pimblett’s fight, then check out our free exclusive Paddy Pimblett next fight live stream.
Paddy Pimblett vs Tony Ferguson Prediction: Pimblett to Win via Submission @ +275 with BetOnline
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Prediction
Alexandre Pantoja is the -185 favorite with the majority of UFC betting apps to defeat Brandon Royval once again in their rematch – this time for the UFC Flyweight Title.
Pantoja claimed the coveted 125-pound world title last time out, beating Brandon Moreno via close split decision. Now, he aims to make a successful first defense against a man he has previously beaten.
Pantoja beat Royval via submission back in 2021, and we think the same thing could happen again here in their co-main event bout. If you want to tune in and watch the rematch, then check out our free exclusive Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval live stream.
The Brazilian MMA phenom is the slight favorite here with the best live betting sites, and seems to be more favored to win the fight via submission. Here at SportsLens we cannot disagree with this and feel Pantoja will make a successful first defense of his UFC Flyweight Title.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Prediction: Pantoja to Win by Submission @ +175 with BetOnline
Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change
Predictions From Other UFC 296 Undercard Fights
Elsewhere on this stacked UFC 296 main card and prelims, we have picked out two more betting picks that we think are the most likely outcome in the respective fight.
First up, on the main card we are predicting Shavkat Rakhmonov will defeat Stephen Thompson via submission. This is a compelling welterweight bout, with Rakhmonov looking to extend his unbeaten MMA record to 18-0. The Kazakh is a scary fighter, and we think he could get ‘Wonderboy’ out of there inside the distance with his elite sambo style.
Our second and final betting pick is that Bryce Mitchell will claim the biggest win of his career and defeat former title challenger Josh Emmett. The best UFC betting sites have the American featherweight as the favorite, despite taking the fight on short notice.
However, we feel that Emmett is damaged goods after his back-to-back defeats to Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria. ‘Thug Nasty’ has what it takes to win this one, which we think he will do on the judges’ scorecards.
Already claimed the UFC 296 betting offer? Take a look and claim the best sportsbook free bets from our various partners. All odds below are priced with BetOnline:
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson: Rakhmonov to Win via Submission @ +150 Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell: Mitchell to Win by Decision @ +110Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change
Full UFC 296 Main Card & Prelims
Here is the full undercard of fights at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night at UFC 296. The UFC Flyweight Title is on the line in the co-main event, with the recently crowned champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt for the first time against Brandon Royval.
The rest of the main card and prelims includes some incredible fights that could have title implications going forward, as well as some brilliant fights on the rest of the card too. Not to mention fights including Paddy Pimblett, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Bryce Mitchell.
| Leon Edwards (c) vs Colby Covington | Welterweight | 5 |
| Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs Brandon Royval | Flyweight | 5 |
| Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson | Welterweight | 3 |
| Tony Ferguson vs Paddy Pimblett | Lightweight | 3 |
| Vicente Luque vs Ian Garry (postponed) | Welterweight | 3 |
| Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell | Featherweight | 3 |
| Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa | Women’s Bantamweight | 3 |
| Cody Garbrandt vs Brian Kelleher | Bantamweight | 3 |
| Casey O’Neill vs Ariane Lipski | Women’s Flyweight | 3 |
| Alonzo Menifield vs Dustin Jacoby | Light-Heavyweight | 3 |
| Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden | Flyweight | 3 |
| Andre Fili vs Lucas Almeida | Featherweight | 3 |
| Martin Buday vs Shamil Gaziev | Heavyweight | 3 |
| Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov | Welterweight | 3 |
Be sure to claim the various sports betting apps bonuses and UFC free bets available on the SportsLens site prior to this UFC 296 card.
Be sure to also check out the free UFC 296 live stream that will be airing the full card from the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
