Anthony Pettis vs Carlos Diego Ferreira – UFC 246

Anthony Pettis and Carlos Diego Ferreira will lock horns in the Octagon as part of the main card action at UFC 246 in Las Vegas. All eyes may well be on the return of Conor McGregor when he takes on Donald Cerrone, but the rest of the card is quite stacked and this one should be an entertaining encounter.

This lightweight division fight is likely to be the first on the main card and we’re going for a bit of an upset for the winner of this bout.

American Pettis is the +200 outsider with 888Sport to win this contest, it might seem a bit of a risk but he is capable of shocking his Brazilian opponent who can be backed as the -265 favorite.

Pettis – who has a professional record of 31 fights, 22 wins, and nine losses – was beaten on points against Nate Diaz last time out in August 2019. The reason he is seen as an outsider is because of the number of defeats he has been handed. So why would you back him to win here?

Pettis has shared the cage with some top-class fighters such as Diaz, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chiesa, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, and Rafael dos Anjos. You don’t share an Octagon with fighters like that if you don’t know how to handle yourself.

For that reason, we are backing Pettis to win this fight by decision at +450 with 888Sport. Both fighters will come out throwing punches and going for quick takedowns, but we think Pettis has more to lose than Ferreira so will want it that little bit more.

He Won’t Have It All His Own Way

Just because we believe Pettis will have his hand raised at the end of the bout, that doesn’t mean we don’t think Ferreira will pose a threat. The Brazilian has lost just two of his 16 fights since his debut in 2011. His record is quite impressive, and quite rightly he is the -265 favorite.

There is something about Pettis that makes us think he will become desperate and will do anything he can to remain on his feet until the end.

If you don’t agree with our UFC pick, then there are enough markets for you to bet on during this encounter. You can back Ferreira to win this one by Knockout, Technical Knockout or Disqualification at +375, while him winning by submission or decision is +550 and +375 respectively.

Pettis is on offer at +650 to end this contest via Knockout, Technical Knockout or Disqualification. During his professional career, Pettis has won eight fights by submission, and he can be backed at +850 to do that to Ferreira.

Other betting markets for this bout can see you back if the fight goes the distance or not. It is -152 to go to the judges, while it’s +115 to end before that. If you fancy a quick end to the first fight of the main card, then you can back Pettis to knock Ferreira out in round one at +800. If you believe Ferreira will get his opponent out of there in quick time, then you can back the first-round win at +500.

Admir aka “The Admiral” has been around the sports industry for more than two decades as a professional athlete and sports agent.