UFC Fight Night Raleigh: Blaydes vs. dos Santos Odds, Picks & Betting Preview
By Cole Shelton in Mixed Martial Arts News
Updated: April 15, 2020 at 12:19 pm EDTPublished:
- Curtis Blaydes looks to make it three in a row at UFC Raleigh
- Can Junior dos Santos get back into the win column?
- Rafael dos Anjos looks to hand Michael Chiesa his first loss at welterweight in the co-main event
The Ultimate Fighting Championship keeps on rolling as UFC Raleigh goes down this Saturday (Jan. 25) and sees an intriguing heavyweight clash headline the card.
In the main event, Curtis Blaydes looks to extend his winning streak to three as he takes on former champion, Junior dos Santos, who is coming off a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. The co-main event pairs former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos against surging welterweight contender Michael Chiesa.
The main card airs live at 8 p.m. ET.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Junior dos Santos Odds
| Fighter | Odds 1 | Odds 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Curtis Blaydes | -250 | -225 |
| Junior dos Santos | +195 | +190 |
Odds taken Jan. 20
Can Blaydes Continue His Hot Streak?
Curtis Blaydes (12-2 and one no-contest) is entering this main event spot on a two-fight winning streak in two dominant performances over Justin Willis and most recently a TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Before that, he suffered the second loss of his career to Francis Ngannou by TKO. The 28-year-old also has notable wins over Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt, and Alexey Oleynik.
Junior dos Santos (21-6) is hoping to avoid losing two straight for the first time in his career. In his last fight, he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou which snapped a three-fight winning streak with wins over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Blagoy Ivanov.
The former UFC heavyweight champion defended his belt once with a win over Frank Mir after the shocking win over Cain Velasquez to win the belt.
Tale of the Tape
| 28 | Age | 35 |
| 6’4″ | Height | 6’4″ |
| 80″ | Reach | 77″ |
| 4 | UFC finishes | 10 |
| 1 | UFC main events | 11 |
In this fight, I believe Curtis Blaydes will start out shooting and securing a takedown, which he does in most fights. His wrestling is arguably the best at heavyweight and should he get Junior dos Santos down, the fight will come down to if JDS can get up and piece up Blaydes on the feet.
In the end, I believe Blaydes will be able to hold dos Santos down and he will earn a second or third-round TKO win to extend his winning streak to three.
Pick: Curtis Blaydes (-225)
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Michael Chiesa Odds
| Fighter | Odds 1 | Odds 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael dos Anjos | -260 | -245 |
| Michael Chiesa | +200 | +210 |
Will Chiesa Break Into the Top 10?
Rafael dos Anjos (29-12) is coming off of a decision loss to Leon Edwards where he was dominated for all five rounds. Now, the former UFC lightweight champion is having to fight an unranked opponent in Michael Chiesa at welterweight to try and secure his top-five ranking.
The Brazilian is just 4-5 in his last nine but his losses have come to top opponents Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman, Tony Ferguson, Eddie Alvarez, and Edwards. He has notable wins over Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and Nate Diaz.
Michael Chiesa (16-4) has been a completely different fighter at welterweight compared to lightweight. At 170 pounds he is 2-0 with a submission win over Carlos Condit and a dominant decision win over Diego Sanchez.
In his career, he has notable wins over Al Iaquinta, Jim Miller, Beneil Dariush, and Francisco Trinaldo.
Tale of the Tape
| 35 | Age | 32 |
| 5’8″ | Height | 6’1″ |
| 70″ | Reach | 75.5″ |
| 8 | UFC finishes | 6 |
| 4-3 | UFC welterweight record | 2-0 |
Michael Chiesa has a shot to here to set up a title run at welterweight but he has been given a tough test in Rafael dos Anjos. Although RDA has been on a skid he has only lost to champions and title contenders.
In this fight, it will be interesting to see how dos Anjos decides to fight it. He has had problems against wrestlers like Usman and Covington but when he is the wrestler like he was against Lawler and Lee he has success. Chiesa is always a problem with his jiu-jitsu game but on the feet, the advantage is to RDA.
Ultimately, I believe dos Anjos will be able to stuff Chiesa’s takedowns and keep the fight on the feet and piece up Chiesa to earn a decision win.
Pick: Rafael dos Anjos (-245)
UFC Raleigh Main Card Odds
Here are the odds for the other fights on the main card.
Jordan Espinosa vs. Alex Perez Odds
| Fighter | Odds 1 | Odds 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Espinosa | +200 | +210 |
| Alex Perez | -260 | -250 |
Hannah Cifers vs. Angela Hill Odds
| Fighter | Odds 1 | Odds 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hannah Cifers | +145 | +150 |
| Angela Hilla | -175 | -175 |
Jamahal Hill vs. Darko Stosic Odds
| Fighter | Odds 1 | Odds 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Jamahal Hill | -135 | -135 |
| Darko Stosic | +105 | +115 |
Sports Writer
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
