Women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino (19-1, 18 KOs) will meet former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Yana Kunitskaya (10-3, 7 KOs, 1 SUB) at UFC 222 on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and get the latest previews, predictions and picks now.
Just one fight after meeting the biggest opponent of her career, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will get back to crushing tin cans. But hey, she’s stepping in to save an ill-fated pay-per-view card, and it never seems to get old watching Cyborg dish out copious amounts of bloody violence.
Her poor victim this time is Yana Kunitskaya, a former Invicta FC bantamweight champion. The pair will meet in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC 222 in Las Vegas.
So let’s get this straight: Cyborg will be defending her title against a natural bantamweight making her UFC debut. That sounds like a typical mismatch for the Brazilian. The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu pretty much confirm what we already know. So how should you bet this fight?
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cristiane Justino -1800
Yana Kunitskaya +984
Fight goes to/doesn’t go to decision +500/-900
The Stakes
If you thought that Priscila Caochiera’s matchup against Valentina Shevchenko was as tough as UFC debuts go, then you were dead wrong. Meeting the most violent women in MMA, unbeaten in 19 consecutive fights with 18 KOs is the absolute roughest in terms of first UFC fights. If she gets out of the first two rounds, consider that a win for the Russian.
For Justino, anything less than complete domination would be a failure. If it sounds like we’re completely writing off the challenger, it’s because we are. The odds are what they are for a reason, this one shouldn’t even be close.
Matchup Preview
If anything, Kunitskaya could gain some inspiration by watching Holly Holm’s scrap with Cyborg. Though Justino ended up cruising to a UD, Holm was able to make the first few rounds relatively close by tying up the bigger Justino and staying active. Perhaps it was out of respect for Holm’s killer round kick, but Justino never really laid down the brutal beatdowns we’re used to seeing.
Kunitskaya’s resume doesn’t inspire much confidence. She’s 1-1 with 1 NC in Invicta, which is seen as a feeder league of sorts for the UFC. Prior to that, she mostly spent time overseas, racking up a decent record but never actually beating significant opponents. Under the Invicta banner, she twice met Tonya Evinger, resulting in a No Contest and a loss.
That’s the same Evinger who faced Cyborg at 135 pounds in the UFC. And if you remember that fight, Evinger got taken to the woodshed and was thoroughly tanned by a fighter who was bigger, stronger, faster and more skilled. If Evinger was able to muscle Kunistkaya and snag a rear-naked choke, what do you think Cyborg will be able to do?
UFC Betting Tips
You should feel 1000% confident taking Cyborg to win here. The only question is how you should bet to maximize your return, and whether there are other bets you can make to cash out a winner on fight night.
UFC Odds Pick: Parlay Cyborg to win at -1800
At these odds, you have to use Cyborg as a parlay booster. The price is far too high to be anything else. It won’t raise your payout too much, but every bit hits.
UFC Odds Pick: Cyborg inside the distance at -600
This is still an expensive bet, but it’s the best value you can get on any Cyborg bet. Use it as a parlay as well.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
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UFC 222 takes place on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims.
