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Dana White caught a lot of abuse from the mainstream media when he wanted to "open things up" in the UFC, no matter what it took. He was ready to go on tribal land, but got turned back in that pursuit when top executives at Disney made him put on the brakes.

We still think he is going to go to a "Fight Island" like he's pledged. But for now, he's going top take the organization into friendly territory - Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has been very anxious to get closer to normal and welcome sports back into the fold. So BetAnySports customers can watch <a href="http://bangthebook.com/ufc-249-ferguson-vs-gaethje-betting-odds-picks-preview/691611/">UFC 249</a> on Saturday at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. And they will be able to wager on two more events at the same location in the next ten days.

There is a bout with some intrigue to kick things off as the main event. Since lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov has been unable to fulfill his championship duties because of travel restrictions. So White is putting #1 lightweight contender Tony Ferguson against knockout artist Justin Gaethje for what is being billed as the "interim title."

There are a few things about Ferguson's story that make it intriguing. For one thing, he's had hard luck in the sense that he has been slated to fight Khabib on five different occasions, with each of those opportunities falling through. It wasn't all Khabib's fault; on two of those occasions, Ferguson suffered an injury that prevented him from participating.

If he can win on Saturday night, he is certainly going to force the issue, and you'll see yet another fight with Khabib scheduled.

In the MMA betting odds on this main event as they are posted at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betanysports">BetAnySports</a>, Ferguson, who in addition to being the #1 contender is also the UFC's #10 pound-for-pound fighter, is the favorite:

Tony Ferguson -210
Justin Gaethje +175

Under 2.5 Rounds -155
Over 2.5 Rounds +135

I have to apologize that I am looking at this as someone who is from a boxing culture, and not an expert in the martial arts. Still, there are, I think, some things that apply to MMA just the way they do to boxing.

For example, similar to the way we see boxer-punchers as people who can win in different ways, such a thing might apply to Ferguson, who has shown remarkable balance on his ledger, with twelve of his wins by knockout and eight by submission (five also came by decision).

Another familiar boxing expression is that "styles make fights." And it applies here. Gaethje has only two wins by submission, and despite the fact that he achieved All-America status as a wrestler in college (Northern Colorado), he is not nearly as adept in going to the ground as he is in the stand-up game. And he's pretty good at it. Meanwhile, one can expect that Ferguson, the jiu-jitsu master, might want to take things to the floor. So that will be a significant tug-of-war right there.

And this fight may well be decided by who can impose his will upon the other. Of course, because Ferguson can stand up and strike, it would be more difficult for Gaethje to make Ferguson "fight his fight."

Or will it?

There's another thing that is very real in boxing, which is that some guys are very quick starters, while other guys are either slow starters are simply don't start well. Gaethje is expected to come out of the gate very fast, and throw bombs early. There's not a lot of disagreement in that, as the Arizona native finds a big advantage in unleashing a barrage before opponents get to settle in.

It seems the general consensus is that Ferguson is a guy who would be well-served by having a longer bout, and that he has a tendency to get hit a lot early. So that part of the matchup doesn't work out all that well for him.

But IF he gets by that, and can force this thing to the ground, he could take care of business very quickly too, because Gaethje may not be all that well-prepared or well-equipped to navigate his way out of trouble.

Accordingly, I'm not sure we are looking at something that will go more than seven and a half minutes.

So rather than go with either man, I would side with the UNDER, even at the price of -155.

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MMA Betting -- Gaethje Might Try to Make Short Work of Ferguson at UFC 249

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Betting on today's Golden Bears and Buffaloes game? Catch the action at CU Events Center in Boulder, CO, as the Buffaloes hosts this showdown at 8:00 ET on PACN. The odds for this Pac-12 conference game currently have Colorado as the -11 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 151 points.<h3>CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS VS COLORADO BUFFALOES BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: California Golden Bears +11This game will be played at CU Events Center at 8:00 ET on Wednesday, February 28th.<h3>WHY BET THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-70 in favor of the Buffaloes.</li><li>Even though we have Colorado winning straight-up, we like California at +11.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 151 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.</li></ul><h3>Will the Golden Bears Win on the Road?</h3>California heads into this game as 11-point underdogs, and they have a record of 7-11 as the underdog this season. They are also 3-8 on the road this season, and their average scoring margin on the road is -5.7 points per game.

Over their last 10 road games, the Golden Bears are 3-7, and they have gone 2-1 in their last three.As the underdog, California has been solid vs. the spread this season, going 12-5-1. They have also been profitable for bettors in their last 10 games as the underdog, going 7-2-1. On the road, the Golden Bears have an ATS mark of 7-4 this year and they have gone 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games.This season, the over/under record for California games is 17-11. So far, 15 of their games have finished with more points than today's line of 151. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 149 points.The California offense is coming off a game where they scored 69 points against Oregon. They posted a field goal percentage of 41.3% and connected on 7 threes. The California offense has been looking to get up shots from outside so far this season, averaging 25.6 three-point attempts per contest. Overall, they have connected on 34% of their looks from outside this season.As they prepare for the upcoming game, California is focused on shoring up their defense, as they are currently allowing an average of 75.8 points per game (262nd). In terms of field goal percentage allowed, California's defense has allowed opponents to shoot 44.3% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 35.4% this season.<h3>Does Colorado Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?</h3>Colorado has been dominant at home this season, going 15-1 with an average scoring margin of +17.6 points per game. They have won nine of their last ten games at home and are coming off an 89-65 win over Utah.

Overall, the Buffaloes are 18-9, including a 9-7 record in Pac-12 play. They have been favored in 22 of their 27 games this season, going 17-5 as the favorite.Against the spread, Colorado has gone 12-14-1 this season, including a mark of 10-5-1 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Buffaloes have a record of 5-5 vs. the spread. In their last three home games, Colorado is just 1-2 ATS.Colorado's over/under record for the season sits at 17-10 and over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1. So far, 12 of their games have finished with more points than today's line of 151. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 152 points and over their last 10 games, the average scoring total is 155 points. On average this season, their games have finished with 3.6 more points than the over/under line.In their latest game, Colorado offense put up 89 points against Utah. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 54.2% and made 10 threes. In terms of three-point shooting, the Buffaloes offense has been good from outside, hitting 39% of their three-pointers on an average of 17.3 attempts per game. Their overall field goal percentage is currently 49%.At this time, the Buffaloes' defense is positioned 183rd in the country, permitting 72.4 points per game. Colorado's defense is coming off a game in which they allowed the Utah offense to knock down 54% of their shots on their way to putting up 65 points.

California Golden Bears vs Colorado Buffaloes Betting Pick & Prediction 2/28/24

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