Former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (20-5, 14 KOs, 1 SUB) meets No. 2 Derrick Lewis (21-6, 18 KOs, 1 SUB) at UFC Fight Night 146 on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 10pm ET.
The UFC is bringing heavy hitters to headline its first trip to Kansas. Former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will meet recent title challenger Derrick Lewis, pitting the division’s most technical boxer against a notorious free swinger.
Dos Santos is gunning for his third straight victory. Since getting knocked out by Stipe Miocic two years ago, he’s beaten former WSOF champ Blagoy Ivanov and knocked out the previously undefeated Tai Tuivasa. Though he’s still a ways from a title shot, the 35-year old could put together one last title run before he breaks down physically - just as long as it’s not against Cain Velasquez.
Lewis saw one of the most unlikely title runs in UFC come to a crushing end at the hands of Daniel Cormier. Though “The Black Beast” was able to string together some impressive victories over the likes of Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou and Marcin Tybura, his lack of technique was exposed by the current champ. It’s highly doubtful that he’ll ever get a crack at the strap again, but he’s turned himself into a bona fide star with his humor and miracle comebacks.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down how you should bet online. Live UFC betting is also available to hedge your bets between rounds.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Derrick lewis +170
Junior Dos Santos -220
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +240 / -320
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Lewis 2.76 / Dos Santos 4.78
Accuracy: Lewis 50% / Dos Santos 48%
Absorbed per minute: Lewis 2.30 / Dos Santos 3.13
Defense: Lewis 44% / Dos Santos 58%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Lewis 0.49 / Dos Santos 0.35
Takedown accuracy: Lewis 23% / Dos Santos 55%
Takedown defense: Lewis 53% / Dos Santos 80%
Submission average: Lewis 0.0 / Dos Santos 0.1
Bet on Lewis vs. Dos Santos Odds at BookMaker.eu
To this day, it still boggles the mind that Lewis somehow punched his way into a title shot. When it comes to all-around skill, the big man is seriously lacking compared to his fellow contenders. His cardio is only good for a few rounds, he doesn’t wrestle and he’s much too reliant on landing a nuke at some point in the fight.
It’s not easy being a fighter when your biggest weapons are power and heart. That requires taking a beating more often than not, then swinging away when you’re seriously hurt. But somehow, it’s worked for Lewis - who has won 9 of his last 11 fights, with seven coming by way of KO/TKO.
His only losses during that time? Mark Hunt and Daniel Cormier. We can pin the loss to DC to his lack of wrestling skill. It’s the Hunt fight that should be concerning. While Lewis is a striker, Hunt chewed him up with his K-1 level kickboxing. Against Volkov, he was getting similarly tooled up by a far more technical striker. Travis Browne had him on the ropes behind a volley of long-range bombs.
That all sums up to a terrible style matchup against Dos Santos, who has ample power and technique. JDS’ chin is questionable, which could be cardinal sin against a killshotter like Lewis, but we’ve also seen him take immense levels of punishment before going down too.
UFC Odds Pick: Dos Santos to win at -220
Easy call here. Though we have to worry about his beard getting popped, the former champ is should be able to use his long jab to keep Lewis at bay.
Bet Online: Fight doesn’t go to decision
Both guys have knockout power, and Lewis’ poor cardio greatly increases the chance of an early finish. This prop also protects you against an upset by Lewis.
Bet on UFC odds online at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. UFC Fight Night 146 takes place on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 10pm ET.
