This Saturday, Madison Square Gardens in New York City will host UFC 295, an event that was originally supposed to feature the return of Jon Jones in a bout against Stipe Miocic.
Jones suffered a torn Achilles in October, forcing him to pull from the fight and causing organizers to quickly pull together a replacement match. This is the second Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view in a row where the main event was canceled.
UFC 294 was supposed to feature a match between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, but the latter had to cancel due to injury.
The UFC is resilient and possesses arguably the world’s best MMA talent on its roster. Much like in 294, UFC 295’s card rebounded quickly and now features a double main event for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship as well as the interim Heavyweight Championship.
Legal UFC betting sites are prepared for Saturday with a line on each match from the prelims on up. Here are the UFC 295 odds for both main events.
Sergey Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall
- Sergey Pavlovich -103
- Tom Aspinwall -120
Tom Aspinwall was victorious in his most recent bout but lost his prior fight at UFC Fight Night back in July 2022 due to a knee-injury-related TKO. Sergei Pavlovich hasn’t lost in the Octagon since November 2018, when he was TKO’d by Alistair Overeem.
Both fighters have favorable odds to win the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship, but Aspinwall is ahead of Pavlovich by 17 points in the moneyline odds at Bovada Sportsbook.
Betting on either fighter will require more risk than what you’ll take home by making a correct wager. Given how close the two fighters match up, we’re siding with Pavlovich due to his impressive win-loss resume.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira
- Jiri Prochazka EVEN
- Alex Pereira -122
Topping off Saturday night in Manhattan is a clash between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira, where the victor will become the new lightweight title holder. UFC odds currently favor Pereira for the win, but betting on Jiri Prochazka will award even money if wagers are placed right now.
Prochazka holds a record of 29-3-1, while Pereira stands at 8-2-0. Alex may seem like the more inexperienced combatant, but he’s spent years on the pro kickboxing circuit and also has fought in professional boxing.
Pereira’s well-rounded martial arts acumen has gotten oddsmakers’ attention as they expect him to win the title at UFC 295. However, if you think Jiri’s experience in the Octagon will aid him in outclassing Pereira, you can double your money by betting on him.
