Making its return to the Windy City for the first time since 2019, UFC 319 promises to be a sensational evening of mixed martial arts action live from Chicago, Illinois. Headlined by a scrap for the undisputed Middleweight Championship as Dricus Du Plessis defends the gold against undefeated Chechen phenom, Khamzat Chimaev. The only way the action could get any more intense is by placing a bet on the latest UFC 319 odds.
Khamzat Chimaev Moneyline
Below we’ve featured our best bets and expert insights on all the main card action of UFC 319. Along with our top picks & predictions, we’ve also supplied the best UFC 319 odds for each fight so you can boost your bankroll at any of the top UFC betting sites in Canada.
Don’t wait, put on your gloves, come out swinging, and let’s knock out the oddsmakers with our UFC 319 betting preview.
Tim Elliott vs Kai Asakura
Best Odds on Elliott to Win: +250 (bet365)
Best Odds on Asakura to Win: -300 (Sports Interaction)
Kicking things off on the main card of UFC 319 are two top flyweights going head-to-head as Tim Elliott takes on Kai Asakura. Coming off a title fight loss to Alexandre Pantoja in his UFC debut, Asakura will have an excellent opportunity to cement himself as a top contender at 125 lbs as he takes on a division stalwart in Elliott.
With 20 UFC bouts under his belt, Elliott has seen it all inside the Octagon, giving him a sense of poise, calmness, and readiness that is rare to find in this sport. While he is sure to feel right at home in the cage, look for him to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Japanese striker in this clash.
Asakura holds several key physical advantages, including a notable three-inch reach advantage, as well as being eight years younger than his opponent. Along with this, Asakura truly was born from fire in his UFC tenure, facing one of the best flyweights the UFC has ever seen at the peak of his powers. While he wasn’t able to get the victory, he did show moments of terrific talent, and Elliott pales in comparison to the output and ability of Pantoja.
Look for this matchup to remain standing, as Asakura uses his size and speed advantage to paw away at Elliott, racking up points with dangerous shots as he cruises to a win on the judges’ scorecards to open the main card of UFC 319.
Prediction: Asakura by DEC (+150 @ Sports Interaction)
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page
Best Odds on Cannonier to Win: +165 (Sports Interaction)
Best Odds on Page to Win: -188 (BetVictor)
In an intriguing clash between two longtime fan favourites in the MMA world, Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier will square off against Michael “Venom” Page.
This matchup will be a great clash of styles as the brawling, powerful striking of Cannonier will go against the crisp, clean, and unique skillset of Page. While Cannonier has continued to defy the odds and keep Father Time at bay as he continues to be a top athlete at 41 years of age, look for the former title challenger to take the loss against the crafty striker in Page.
Holding a four-inch height and one-and-a-half-inch reach advantage in this bout, Page is poised to dictate the pace of the dance. Able to infuriate and confuse his opponents thanks to his unorthodox striking and movement in the Octagon, Page will have no trouble avoiding the dangerous shots of Cannonier, while touching him up repeatedly in return.
We have seen Cannonier struggle in the past to close the distance against rangy, lengthy kickboxers such as Israel Adesanya, a telling sign to how this fight may play out.
Having proven himself to be one of the most talented fighters on the roster since joining the UFC, taking on all comers and more often than not, walking away victorious, expect to see MVP notch another name on his stacked resume as he defeats Cannonier by decision.
Prediction: Page by DEC (+102 @ TonyBet)
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates
Best Odds on Neal to Win: +200 (bet365)
Best Odds on Prates to Win: -235 (Sports Interaction)
Don’t blink, or you might just miss the finish to this showdown between heavy-handed strikers as Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal faces Carlos “The Nightmare” Prates.
In a battle between two of the most deadly combatants at 170 lbs, look for Neal to pull off the upset win as he scores the knockout against the fan-favourite Prates.
While you’d have to be a fool to ignore the unbelievable knockout power possessed by Prates, he still isn’t a complete fighter. In his five-round war with Ian Machado Garry, Prates had several glaring holes shown in his game, primarily in his lack of grappling acumen.
Taking on a more well-rounded fighter in Neal, who also happens to be one of the most violent strikers in the UFC, Neal simply has more tools at his disposal to get the job done. Additionally, even if this fight was just to stay on the feet, Neal has shown he has no problem closing the distance between himself and bigger opponents, using crisp inside boxing to land damaging hooks that send his adversaries crashing to the mat.
This fight is sure to be short-lived as someone is going to have their lights shut off, but when it comes to backing a winner, I believe there’s no better value on this card than Neal to win by knockout over Prates.
Prediction: Neal by KO/TKO/DQ (+640 @ TonyBet)
Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico
Best Odds on Murphy to Win: +155 (BetVictor)
Best Odds on Pico to Win: -170 (Sports Interaction)
Set to welcome highly-touted prospect Aaron Pico to the UFC, unbeaten featherweight Lerone “The Miracle” Murphy will look to use this fight as a stepping stone toward UFC championship contention.
After carving out a successful career in Bellator and the PFL, Pico is arguably one of the top talents to compete in MMA outside of the UFC. With this hype, Pico has landed himself as the favourite in this contest, a line I think is overly inflated.
While Pico is undoubtedly a contender to watch at only 28 years old, he isn’t just stepping into the Octagon against some can waiting to be crushed. Instead, he’s facing a 16-0-1 talent in Murphy that has wins over notable UFC featherweights such as Josh Emmett, Dan Ige, and Edson Barboza.
Holding the size advantage in this fight, Murphy is a savvy competitor who remains cool and calculated inside the Octagon. In contrast, Pico likes to get his hands dirty quickly, chasing early finishes in the opening rounds. Look for Murphy to keep himself out of harm’s way of the dangerous early onslaught of Pico, instead landing clean shots early on as he waits for his opponent to slow down, before opening up and running away with the fight in the later stages of the contest.
As a slight underdog, there’s fantastic value in Murphy to win by decision on a betting line that is going to be proven as misplaced on the latest UFC 319 odds.
Prediction: Murphy by DEC (+250 @ Sports Interaction)
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Best Odds on Du Plessis to Win: +200 (bet365)
Best Odds on Chimaev to Win: -230 (BET99)
Set to light the United Center on fire in the main event, two of the top combatants in the UFC will go toe-to-toe with gold on the line as reigning champion Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis takes on Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev. This fight is scheduled for five rounds of action, but don’t expect this fight to go the distance.
In a showdown between two fighters who have never lost in the UFC, bank on Du Plessis to put an end to the 14-fight undefeated streak of Chimaev as he scores a knockout victory in the main event of UFC 319.
It has been a roller coaster ride to get here for Chimaev, between botched weight cuts, illnesses, and dominant first-round finishes, but the Chechen grappler is still somewhat of an enigma. One of the best pressure wrestlers we have ever seen, Chimaev loves to push the pace and put his opponents into uncomfortable situations immediately, generally shooting an aggressive takedown attempt within the first 20 seconds of the fight.
While his ability to win fights early is notable, what has been equally worth noting is his drop-off in production as the fight goes on. Sporting one of the most suspect gas tanks in the UFC, this will be Chimaev’s first five-round matchup in his career. Having seen him gas out and struggle down the stretch of three-round contests against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, this could be a recipe for disaster.
On the other side of this matchup, the defending champion Du Plessis possesses all the tools necessary to make this an uncomfortable bout for the challenger. Sporting solid wrestling defence, Du Plessis is one of the few middleweights he can match the size and strength of Chimaev.
Look for Du Plessis to weather the early storm, preventing Chimaev from bringing the fight to the ground, instead forcing him to stand-and-bang, an area where the champ has a massive advantage.
Once Chimaev inevitably begins to fade late into the second or third rounds, look for DDP to put it on him, sending an avalanche of aggression as he stops the hype train of Chimaev dead in its tracks, notching himself a massive knockout victory in his third consecutive title defence.
Prediction: Du Plessis by KO/TKO/DQ (+620 @ TonyBet)
UFC 319 Prelim Picks
Not only is the main card loaded with exciting matchups, but the entire UFC 319 card is stacked top-to-bottom. With so many great fights on tap, why not place a bet or two on the prelim action of UFC 319? Below we’ve provided our UFC 319 prelim picks so you can score your first big win of the night before the main card even begins!
- Idiris by KO
- Donchenko by KO
- Barbosa by DEC
- Battle by SUB (+300)
- Barboza by KO (+300)
- Hooper by DEC (+175)
- Godinez by DEC (-110)
- Susurkaev by KO
- Meerschaert by SUB (+400)