UFC Fight Night 124 takes place on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The main card airs live on FS1 starting 10pm ET. Bet on the latest UFC odds and get previews, predictions and picks and BookMaker.eu now!
The UFC is kicking off 2018 with fireworks galore. Though this Saturday’s card in St. Louis is only a Fight Night event, the scraps themselves are filled with action fighters that know how to deliver.
Headlining the card is Doo Ho Choi, whose last tilt ended up winning ESPN’s 2016 Fight of the Year. Pairing him with fellow banger Jeremy Stephens is a failproof recipe for violence.
Middleweights Uriah Hall and Vitor Belfort - two men with highlight reel finishes galore - promises to reenact your favorite scenes from Kickboxer. Paige VanZant, a relentless whirlwind of scrambles is lacing up, as is Darren Elkins, who took home last year’s Upset of the Year. Opposite Elkins is Michael Johnson, who went toe-to-toe with Justin Gaethje en route to the 2017 Fight of the Year.
As if that’s not enough, Kamaru Usman, a dynamite athlete, will collide with Emil Meek - a hulking welterweight with a 78% knockout ratio.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover here, so let’s get right to it. Make sure to check the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu for the latest lines, as they’re updated daily.
Main Event
Featherweight
Doo Ho Choi -160
Jeremy Stephens +130
Over/under 1.5 rounds, over -245, under +205
Betting Guide
Choi is a true one-punch knockout artist, but his slobberknocker with Swanson exposed a lack of depth to his overall game. While Stephens isn’t quite as crafty as Cub, he’s got over 10 years and 25 UFC fights to his game. He’d lose a toe-to-toe war with Choi, but a patient, technical approach could pick Choi apart.
Of course, if this comes down to haymaker-rama, this becomes a 50-50 proposition. But that’s all the more reason to take Stephens at these odds. Choi’s current money line assumes that he’s made some very necessary adjustments, but training camp can only partially replace actual ring time.
UFC Odds Pick: Stephens to win at +130
Middleweights
Uriah Hall -300
Vitor Belfort +240
Over/under 15. rounds, over +150, under -170
Betting Guide
Belfort is 40 and off TRT. That automatically puts him in the hole against pretty much every top-10 middleweight. Hall is ranked No. 11 and in a 1-3 slump, suggesting a winnable fight for Belfort. Don’t be tempted by the odds though, this is squarely Hall’s fight to lose.
While Belfort was able to scrap for three rounds and beat a similarly ancient Nate Marquardt, in no way can he handle Hall’s explosiveness for three rounds. The old lion might still have fast hands, but his cardio is shot and so is his chin. As long as Hall stays aggressive and focused - which is also hard to rely on - the Queens native should be able to outgun Belfort.
Take Hall to win and if you’re not liking the payout, use it as a parlay booster. The over/under is too difficult to call - both men have knockout potential but this could be a case where they’ll warily circle each other for awhile out of respect.
UFC Odds Pick: Parlay Hall to win at -300
Women’s Flyweight
Paige VanZant -105
Jessica Rose-Clark -125
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -290, under +245
Betting Guide
How much has PVZ been able to improve with so many commitments outside of the cage? It’s going to take a lot of work for her to evolve to be more than just a swarmer, and forgive us if we’re doubtful that it happens in one fight camp. Clark just so happens to be a counterstriker, so VanZant’s aggression could really work against her here.
There’s also the fact that Clark is moving down from bantamweight while VanZant is moving up from strawweight. We don’t see VanZant being able to bully Clark here. And when she can’t do that, she’ll have to resort to her incomplete striking game to prevail over a comfortable striker. That’s not good for the 23-year old.
UFC Odds Pick: Clark to win at -125
Lightweight
Michael Johnson -155
Darren Elkins +125
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -200, under +170
Betting Guide
Johnson is by far the better striker, but Elkins is easily a better grappler. So whoever dictates where this fight takes place is the man you want to lay your coin on. We lean towards Elkins here, as Johnson is a fighter that can be drained of his spirit - and Elkins is pretty much unbreakable when it comes to determination.
Still, we wouldn’t blame you for being weary about picking a winner - Johnson is the superior athlete and talent overall. One doesn’t maintain a top-10 ranking at lightweight without being a beast. The safe play here is the rounds over, as this projects to be a dogfight between two tough guys.
UFC Odds Pick: Over 2.5 rounds at -200
Welterweight
Emil Meek +460
Kamaru Usman -650
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -135, under +115
Betting Guide
Usman is a powerhouse wrestler who is just starting discover his striking groove under the masterful watch of Henri Hooft. That already gives him an advantage over Emil Meek, a hulking welterweight who is little more than a one-dimensional power puncher. This should be a lot of fun to watch, but Usman’s ability to take this to the mat gives him a clear edge.
Your options here are to parlay Usman to win or take him inside the distance. Meek is exceedingly tough, so mitigate your risk and use the former to boost another bet.
UFC Odds Pick: Parlay Usman to win at -650
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UFC Fight Night 124 takes place on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The main card airs live on FS1 starting 10pm ET.
