Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington UFC Betting Pick

Holly Holm returns to the Octagon for the first time in 2020 as she looks to put last July’s defeat against Amanda Nunes behind her. The former Bantamweight champion is on the main card of UFC 246 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The same event that sees Conor McGregor make his return to the cage against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

Other fights in Vegas include Aleksei Olynik against Maurice Greene, Claudia Gadelha versus Alexa Grasso and Anthony Pettis taking on Diego Ferreira.

Many people do not see Holly Holm as a major force in the UFC anymore. Her fight against Amanda Nunes for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship lasted less than five minutes as the champion stopped Holm in the first round with kicks and punches to the head. This forced the referee to stop the contest.

She might not be able to compete at the top elite of the sport, but she should have enough about her to beat Pennington. Although, she is no pushover.

Holm is the favorite with William Hill to win the bout at -130 and that shouldn’t really be in question. Pennington, on the other hand, is feeling confident after winning her last bout. She won a split decision against Irene Aldana in July 2019.

This was Pennington’s first victory since she won a unanimous decision against Miesha Tate in November 2016. Pennington can be backed at +110 to inflict a second successive defeat on Holm.

Holm Too Strong For Pennington

This is not the first time Holm and Pennington have shared the Octagon. They fought back in February 2015 with Holm getting her hand raised with a split decision verdict.

For lightning to strike twice. You can get odds on Holm being victorious with a points decision yet again at +110. Pennington can be backed to get that favorable outcome at +163.

This will not get to the judges. Holm will still be bitter and possibly embarrassed from her last fight, she will end this in the second round.

She has so much to prove. She needs a dominating performance to show she deserves another shot at Amanda Nunes. Our UFC Pick is to back her at +1400 to get Pennington out of there in the second round.

That’s our prediction for the fight. But there are more markets open for you to have a bet with. Holm to win this fight by Knockout, Technical Knockout or Disqualification is available at +700. Pennington to do the same is on offer at +1000.

Holm has never won a professional bout via submission. She is available +2200 for that unlikely outcome. Pennington has only ever won two of her 17 fights by submission and she can be backed at +1400 for that to happen.

You can also bet on the over/under market on how many rounds this contest goes. It is –900 for the bout to go past 1.5 rounds, while it’s +500 for it to be stopped before then.

You can back this fight to go less than 2.5 rounds at +333. It might be something to think about if you agree with us that Holm will end this in round two. It is -500 for it to go longer than 2.5 rounds.

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