We're on the countdown to the UFC's historic Freedom 250 card to be held on the White House premises, featuring lightweight champion Ilia Topuria taking on former interim champ Justin Gaethje in the main event. The card is set for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 14, and will be broadcast live on Paramount+.
Below, we'll take a look at the MMA odds and offer the top picks from CBS and SportsLine MMA analysts.
The UFC Freedom 250 odds feature prices that suggest mostly lopsided matches. Although significant price movement often happens in the 24 hours leading up to the card, the MMA odds have seen somewhat minimal movement thus far.
However, it's worth noting that the main event has seen some steam on the underdog Gaethje, a resilient brawler who will be getting his third and likely final opportunity at an undisputed world title. At one point, the price on the favored Topuria soared to an unplayable -750 but currently sits at -560, a shade below the opening price of -600.
The co-main event between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira, who is seeking to become the first fighter in UFC history to claim titles in three separate weight classes, has been consistently priced in the pick'em range. Even so, Gane (-118) has emerged as a slight favorite in the matchup for the interim heavyweight championship against Pereira (-108).
The only fight that has seen consistent play on the underdog is the UFC Freedom 250 opener between featherweight contenders Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia. Lopes opened as a -200 favorite but now sits at -150, while Garcia's price has dipped from +150 to +126.
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Here are the UFC Freedom current odds as of Thursday motning, compared to the opening prices.
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UFC Freedom 250 card, updated odds (via FanDuel)
- Main event opening odds: Ilia Topuria (-600) vs. Justin Gaethje (+400) for undisputed lightweight title; Current odds: Topuria (-560), Gaethje (+370)
- Co-main event opening odds: Alex Pereira (-125) vs. Ciryl Gane (-105), for interim heavyweight title; Current odds: Pereira (-108), Gane (-118)
- Opening odds: Sean O'Malley (-380) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (+260), ranked bantamweights; Current odds: O'Malley (-460), Zahabi (+320)
- Opening odds: Mauricio Ruffy (-600) vs. Michael Chandler (+400), lightweights; Current odds: Ruffy (-750), Chandler (+460)
- Opening odds: Bo Nickal (-350) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+250), middleweights; Current odds: Nickal (-360), Daukaus (+260)
- Opening odds: Diego Lopes (-200) vs. Steve Garcia (+150), featherweights; Current odds: Lopes (-162), Garcia (+126)
- Opening odds: Josh Hokit (-240) vs. Derrick Lewis (+200), heavyeights: Current odds: Hokit (-440), Lewis (+310)
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UFC Freedom 250 analysis, picks
Here is a roundup of top UFC Freedom 250 picks from CBS and SportsLine MMA analysts:
Brian Campbell, CBS: In a "bold predictions" segment that appeared Wednesday on UFC on Paramount, the veteran analyst said his top two plays for the card were Pereira by first-round KO/TKO at odds of +600, and Ruffy by KO/TKO within the first two rounds at -130.
Daniel Vithlani, SportsLine: MMA analyst Danny "Brasco" Vithlani released his top two plays on SportsLine on Wednesday. They are O'Malley by KO/TKO at +200 and Topuria to win in rounds 1-2 at -135.
Kyle Marley, SportsLine: The veteran SportsLine MMA analyst Marley offers selections on Pereira by decision at the juicy odds of +650, and he likes Lopes to win the opener by submission at a price of +420.
Josh Nagel, SportsLine: SportsLine's combat editor is going with Daukaus (+275) to pull the upset of Nickal (-340) and he likes O'Malley by decision (+110), both of which were documented in this space in early UFC Freedom 250 previews.
Thomas Casale, SportsLine: Casale likes the reduced price on Lopes (-150) to open the show but, in agreement with Marley, he recommends Lopes by submission (+420) to those looking for a plus-money position on the fight.
