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Magomed Ankalaev is heavily favored against Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 on Saturday in Las Vegas. These two light heavyweights are ranked in the Top 10 in the latest UFC rankings but they are going in opposite directions. Santos fought for the title a few years ago against Jon Jones but he lost a split decision. That defeat started a three-fight losing streak that Santos broke last time out with a win over Johnny Walker. Ankalaev has been rolling, losing just once in his career and he comes into this fight having won seven straight bouts. Let’s look at UFC Fight Night 203 picks.
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev
Date and Time: Saturday, March 12, 2022, Action begins at 7 PM ET
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, NV
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev Odds
Magomed Ankalaev (-530) vs. Thiago Santos (+360)
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev TV Coverage: ESPN+
The main card begins at 7:00 PM EST and will be held at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card gets underway at 4:00 PM EST. There are a total of 14 fights on the card with six on the main card and eight prelims, with all of the action on ESPN+.
All odds courtesy of SugarHouse online sportsbook.
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev Odds
Ankalev is more than a 5-1 favorite to win this fight. There is very little value in taking Ankalev at the big odds, so the question will be whether Santos has any chance to win and how long the fight will go. If you think that Santos has a chance to win this fight then the price of +360 definitely could have some appeal. If you want to go with Ankalaev then the props are likely the better choice rather than lay more than 5-1. The rounds option on this fight are listed at 3.5. If you like the fight to go the distance then taking the rounds to go over seems like a decent bet. There may also be some props you want to consider, including the fight to go a decision at plus money. I’ll look at some of the props for this fight and some of the other fights in another article. Suffice to say that there are some interesting betting options for this fight beyond the big moneyline price and the rounds option.
UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev Picks
The first thing that jumps out at me on this one is the price. Is Ankalaev really good enough to be listed as a 5-1 favorite against a good fighter in Santos? Are the days of Santos being a contender really over? Ankalaev has won seven fights in a row and done nothing wrong, but his level of competition has been average at best, while we know that Santos has fought some of the best fighters in the UFC. I think you can at least make some case for taking a small shot on Santos at the big price, but the focus here will be on the rounds.
Santos used to be known as a finisher, but those days seem to be gone. Three of his last four fights have gone the distance. Ankalaev looked really good in finishing Ion Cutelaba but he hasn’t shown a ton of power recently. The last two fights for Ankalaev have gone the distance and it is hard to see him finding a quick finish against a tough fighter in Santos.
The round options for this fight are listed at 3.5 and I think the over is the way to go. Santos is still a very good fighter and I think he will keep this fight competitive throughout. We will see just how good Ankalaev is in this fight, but even if he gets the win, I think it is likely that the fight goes the distance. I will go over the rounds in this fight.
Check out the latest UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev odds at SugarHouse sportsbook.
