UFC Vegas 9: Alistair Overeem Favored Over Augusto Sakai

• Augusto Sakai is the underdog at +132 in his heavyweight bout against Alistair Overeem.
• Alonzo Menifield has -133 odds to beat Ovince Saint Preux.
• Both Zelim Imadaev and Michel Pereira have short odds going into Saturday’s welterweight bout.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Vegas 9’s main card sees several major matchups that have sports bettors taking action at online sportsbooks.

The main event sees Augusto Sakai and Alistair Overeem faceoff in a heavyweight bout that has Overeem heavily favored.

Other key matchups include Alonzo Menifield battling Ovince Sait Preux, Michel Pereira Lima taking on Zelim Imadaev, and Thiago Moises battling it out with Jalin Turner.

Overeem Vs. Sakai

The main fight that is attracting UFC betting is the Overeem Vs. Sakai heavyweight matchup. The Demolition Man is heavily favored going into Saturday’s bout.

Overeem is coming off of a strong round two knock out win against Walt Harris in his last fight, pushing his impressive record to 46-18-0.

The 40-year-old veteran MMA fighter’s prime skills are his kickboxing mastery. His striking game has allowed him to take home 24 knockout wins throughout his UFC career.

Sports bettors are expecting this striking power to overwhelm Sakai, whose primary fighting style is grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Ovince Saint Pruex Vs. Alonzo Menifield

The next big fight on the main card sees light heavyweights Ovince Saint Preux and Alonzo Menifield battle it out with most sports bettors leaning towards Menifield.

Although less experienced than Saint Preux, Menifield has already begun making a strong name for himself in the UFC.

Menifield has nine wins and one loss. Eight of those wins came via knockout. The expert boxer is strong in standing fights and his wrestling skills allow him to manage himself should he get grappled.

Saint Preux on the other hand has a 24-14-0 record with and mostly focuses on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and aims to win via submission.

If Saint Preux can keep the fight on the ground, he may have a shot. However, Minefield is a striker so carelessly trying to grapple him could lead to an early knockout.

Michel Pereira Lima Vs. Zelim Imadaev

The next betting line has sports bettors split. Both Michel Pereira Lima and Zelim Imadaev have short odds to win, with Pereira having a slight edge at legal sports betting sites.

Both welterweights have a strong striking presence so it makes sense why sports bettors are conflicted in who would end up the winner. Michel Pereira has 10 knockouts on his belt but his jiu-jitsu skills may be the difference-maker in this matchup.

Thiago Moises Vs. Jalin Turner

Moises is the clear favorite in this next lightweight bout. The grappling specialist plans to use his Jiu-jitsu skills to combat Turner’s ground game, which may end in an early submission.

Turner on the other hand is mainly a striker, with eight of his nine wins coming from knockouts. The problem is that he tends to struggle against strong grapplers.

If he can’t keep the fight off the ground, he will struggle to maintain any form of rhythm against such a strong jiu-jitsu fighter as Moises.

UFC Vegas 9 is filled with betting lines for enthusiastic sports bettors to get in on the action. Who will reign supreme in the octagon?

News tags: Alistair Overeem | Alonzo Menifield | Augusto Sakai | Dana White | Jalin Turner | Michel Pereira Lima | Ovince Saint Preux | Thiago Moises | UFC | UFC Fight Night | UFC Vegas 9 | Zelim Imadaev