UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus Full Card Betting Guide

Last chance for us gamblers to bet on the UFC in 2021! Derrick Lewis takes on Chris Daukaus in a five-round heavyweight main event to headline UFC Vegas 45 on Saturday, Dec. 18, at the UFC Apex.

For more detailed analysis, check out the Full Card preview. For Matt and Craig’s final thoughts, watch Question Mark Kicks, live on YouTube two hours before the prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Best Bets

Jordan Leavitt (-128) — Matt Sayles is coming off a two-year layoff and while Leavitt is awkward on the fett, one takedown could decide this fight for the bigger “Monkey King.”

Mateusz Gamrot (-195) — “Gamer” is exactly as his name suggests. His wrestling and top control is second to none in the promotion. He can be a bit chinny, so leave him off parlays, but if he can wear on Diego Ferreira, he has a clear path to victory.

Stephen Thompson (-223) — Wonderboy’s karate stance and ability to create space is going to cause a ton of problems for Belal Muhammad.

Pop and Popcorn Fights

Charles Jourdain (-196) vs. Andre Ewell (+164) — This is just a razor close fight that’s very hard to predict. It should be massively fun though.

Darren Elkins (+161) vs. Cub Swanson (-193) — What a fun scrap this will be. Cub Swanson is the king of performance bonuses and don’t be surprised to see him add to his wallet in this one.

Underdogs to Consider

Josh Parisian (+166) — Don’Tale Mayes is far from a world beater. And bettors know there’s always value in underdog unranked heavyweights. Parisian has the skillset to win this fight.

Derrick Lewis (+120) — I have a personal rule: Always bet on “The Black Beast.” It just makes life more fun. I’d personally bet on him to win by knockout at +165, but the +120 is safer.

Intriguing Props

Raquel Pennington by decision (+111) — “Rocky” is far from a finisher and while Macy Chiasson’s weight miss probably is a benefit to her, Pennington by decision at plus odds is good value.

Sijara Eubanks by knockout (+603) — I don’t love her weight miss, but it should help in the wrestling department against Melissa Gatto. If she gets on top, a ground-and-pound TKO is more likely than these odds suggest.

Raoni Barcelos by knockout (+189) — Barcelos is a savvy UFC veteran facing a weather UFC newcomer in Victor Henry on short notice. Barcelos’ unique style will give him an opportunity to finish this early.

Gerald Meerschaert by submission (+159) — He has more submissions than anyone in middleweight history. He’s at plus odds to lock one up against a fighter who is winless in the UFC.

Ricky Simon by decision (+114) — Simon’s wrestling is elite level. That should provide him a clear path to a scorecards win over aging Raphael Assuncao.

Amanda Lemos by knockout (+274) — One of the few strawweight fighters with legitimate knockout power, Lemos is on a wrecking path to vying for a strawweight title within the year.

Parlay of the Night

Tafa-Hunsucker U2.5 (-373), Raoni Barcelos (-353), Gerald Meerschaert (-236), Stephen Thompson (-223) — +235

Because the above parlay is pretty chalky, add Derrick Lewis to it to boost odds to +638.