Al Iaquinta vs. Donald Cerrone

Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 9:30 PM (Canadian Tire Centre)

+151: Fight goes to decision-215 -210-215 Fight doesn't go to decision +165 +170 +165 Fight starts round 2-1000: Fight won't start round 2 +600: Fight starts round 3-600: Fight won't start round 3 +400: Fight starts round 4-350: Fight won't start round 4 +275: Fight starts round 5-260: Fight won't start round 5 +200: Fight is a draw +5000 +6600. At UFC Fight Night 150 last week, McClure was all over Greg Hardy. The result: Hardy recorded a first-round knockout against Dmitrii Smoliakov, and anybody who had him on their roster was well on the way to a profitable day. Now McClure has set his sights on UFC Fight Night 151.

The Line: Iaquinta -137 / Cerrone +123 -- Over/Under:Click to Get Latest Betting Odds

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Al Iaquinta and Donald Cerrone fight Saturday during UFC Fight Night 151 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Al Iaquinta enters this fight with a 14-4-1 record and has won 50 percent of his fights by knockout. Iaquinta has won nine of his last 11 fights and is coming off a December win over Kevin Lee. Iaquinta is averaging 4.3 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 41 percent. Iaquinta is averaging 0.81 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 23 percent. Iaquinta is coming off a second victory over Lee, a bout in which he landed 49 percent of his total strikes. However, some would say Lee was robbed in the rematch, so take the result with a grain of salt. Iaquinta has now gone to a decision in three of his last four fights and has been on the right side in six of his seven career decisions. Iaquinta is a powerful striker who lands 91 percent of his strikes standing up and has one shot knockout power. However, Iaquinta has improved as a grappler over the years and his conditioning is extremely impressive to the point where he still has knockout power late in fights and can be effective on the ground if needed. While at his best standing up in a striking brawl, Iaquinta is the only fighter to go five rounds with Khabib Nurmagomedov, so he’s more than comfortable being dragged into deep waters. This will be Iaquinta’s first career fight in Canada.

Donald Cerrone enters this fight with a 35-11 record and has won 49 percent of his fights by submission. Cerrone has split his last eight fights and is coming off a January win over Alexander Hernandez. Cerrone is averaging 4.2 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 48 percent. Cerrone is averaging 1.29 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 35 percent. Cerrone is coming off a clean head kick and viscous ground and pound to produce a second round knockout, and each of his last eight wins have been finishes. Cerrone has earned performance of the night honors in back-to-back fights and now has a chance to win three straight fights for the first time since 2016. Cerrone is a versatile fighter who is a well decorated kick boxer, a deep background in Muay Thai and is comfortable on the canvas to the point he has 17 career submission victories. A total of 27 of Cerrone’s 35 victories have come by some sort of stoppage. A polished wrestler who almost always has the edge on the canvas, Cerrone closes range well with those leg kicks and seems to always be comfortable in the octagon. This will be Cerrone’s fourth career fight in Canada.

It’s hard to find people who don’t root for Cowboy, as the guy is a true fighter who does things the right way and often finds ways to win when many are counting him out for whatever reason. It’s always worth considering him in the underdog role. The concerns here is that Iaquinta has some of the best boxing in the division and high level takedown defense, two things that are going to give Cerrone issues. Iaquinta is going to force his style of fight and the combination of pressure along with his boxing ability to going to make Cerrone uncomfortable.

This is a true toss-up fight, as Cerrone has the edge if they fight from the outside. Iaquinta has the edge if he can throw hands on the inside. I’m giving the edge to Iaquinta.

UFC 251 takes place Saturday at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Kamaru Usman (16-1) takes on Jorge Masvidal (35-13) in a welterweight title fight as the main event. The main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET and is available on pay-per-view. ESPN+ and ESPN will carry the preliminaries beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the main card of UFC 251 and look at BetMGM‘s betting odds.

UFC 251 betting odds

Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM; accessUSA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. All lines last updated Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Kamaru Usman (-264) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+210)

Masvidal stepped up as the replacement for Gilbert Burns in the welterweight title fight after Burns tested positive for COVID-19. The highly-experienced American fighter comes in as the division’s No. 3 contender and is an underdog against the Nigerian Nightmare, who currently holds the belt.

UFC 251 Special Offer in CO, IN, NJ and WV: Bet $1 at BetMGM.com, WIN $100 in free bets if Kamaru Usman wins at UFC 251. Place your bets now! Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions.

Alexander Volkanovski (-223) vs. Max Holloway (+180)

The featherweight title is on the line as belt-holder Volkanovski (21-1) faces the No. 1 contender in Holloway (21-5). Holloway is five inches taller but gives up two inches of reach.

Petr Yan (-228) vs. Jose Aldo (+185)

The first title bout of the night is between the bantamweight’s third-ranked contender in Yan (14-1) and No. 6 challenger in Aldo (28-6). The belt became vacant after Henry Cejudo retired following his defeat of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.

Ufc 151 Odds Vs

Jessica Andrade (+162) vs. Rose Namajunas (-200)

The No. 1 and No. 2 contenders in the women’s strawweight division meet, with Namajunas opening as the favorite despite her No. 2 ranking. “Thug” (Namajunas) is 9-4, while “Bate Estaca” is 20-7.

Amanda Ribas (-834) vs. Paige VanZant (+575)

The most lopsided bout of the main card is between the 14th-ranked women’s flyweight contender in Ribas and the unranked VanZant. Ribas enters at 9-1, while VanZant has fallen to 8-4 with three losses in her last five fights.

UFC 251: How to watch

When: Saturday, July 11 – the main card begins at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

How to watch: The main card of UFC 251 is available on pay-per-view

Ufc 151 Odds Against

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If you want some betting action on any of these MMA bouts, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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