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.
UFC Fight Night Minneapolis odds, betting trends for Saturday
Francis Ngannou squares off against Junior dos Santos as the clear betting favorite at sportsbooks in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Minneapolis.
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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)
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
