Francis Ngannou has shaken off back-to-back losses in 2018 with back-to-back wins in his last two fights. The 32-year-old heavyweight will try to continue rebuilding his momentum with a win on Saturday night over Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC on ESPN 3.
Ngannou is a -260 favorite on the UFC odds in Minneapolis at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. With 10 straight wins and a perfect 6-0 start through his first six bouts in the UFC, Ngannou rapidly rose through the heavyweight division to earn a title shot against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220. He lost that bout and struggled with endurance issues in the later rounds.
Ngannou’s stock dropped even further after a disappointing loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, but with recent wins over Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez, the heavyweight seems to be back on track.
Junior dos Santos (+200) went just 3-4 over a stretch of fights from December 2012 through May 2017. Since 2018 however, dos Santos is a perfect 3-0 with wins over Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis. An upset win over Ngannou would solidify the legitimacy of dos Santos’ recent resurgence.
The co-main event is an intriguing flyweight bout between Joseph Benavidez (-175) and Jussier Formiga (+145). Formiga enters this fight with four straight wins while Benavidez has won each of his last two. These two fighters met in a bout back at UFC Fight Night 28 with Benavidez picking up the victory with a first round TKO. The winner of this fight figures to be in line for a title fight against Henry Cejudo should Cejudo continue to defend the UFC Flyweight Championship moving forward.
Demian Maia (-185) had won each of his previous seven fights before suffering through a three-fight losing streak across 2017 and 2018. He snapped that losing streak with a win against Lyman Good at UFC Fight Night 144 earlier this year, and will try to pick up another win on Saturday against Anthony Rocco Martin (+150). Rocco Martin has won each of his last four fights.
Roosevelt Roberts (-280) vs. Vinc Pichel (+220) and Drew Dober (-350) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (+265) round out the main card. Roberts is off to an 8-0 start as a professional including a 2-0 start to his UFC career.
UFC Fight Night Betting Lines
Francis Ngannou (-260) vs. Junior dos Santos (+200)
Joseph Benavidez (-175) vs. Jussier Formiga (+145)
Demian Maia (-185) vs. Anthony Rocco Martin (+150)
Roosevelt Roberts (-280) vs. Vinc Pichel (+220)
Drew Dober (-350) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (+265)
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