Gambling 254

1. Established in 1997, 888.com quickly developed its brand and reputation as the market leader in the global online gaming industry. The 888.com brand was founded with the principles of trust and credibility at its core, defining the ethos for the company’s activities to this day. 888.com has consistently demonstrated a clear focus on enriching your gaming experience.
2. Betting Guide for UFC 254. Barry Cohen — @ScaryBarry4 Oct 23rd, 2020. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. UFC 254 is here with one of the biggest fights in the promotion's history.
3. Top blockchain gambling of 13 blockchains including Ethereum, Tron, EOS, Neo, Steem, Klaytn, TomoChain, IOST, Terra, Vexanium, ICON, Chiliz.
4. This bout has the largest disparity in betting odds, making Miranda Maverick the biggest betting favorite and Liana Jojua the biggest betting underdog for UFC 254. Jojua made her UFC debut 13 months ago and lost via 3 rd round TKO to Sarah Moras.

This article is part of our Handicapping the Octagon series.

Sometimes we just have to recognize the value spot and pull the trigger, even if it doesn't feel great. That's the situation we find ourselves in with the main event of UFC 254 when Justin Gaethje takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov. I may be going soft in my old age, as we've mixed two favorites into our plays this month, but as always, all plays fall below (-200). All lines are taken from the William Hill online sportsbook and are accurate as of the post date of this article. Without any further ado, let's get to it.

Gambling boats have operated at times out of Texas ports, taking passengers on one-day 'cruises to nowhere' in international waters, where there are no gambling laws. The casino cruise industry developed in other states in the early 1980s, but was a latecomer to Texas because of a state law prohibiting the docking of ships with gambling.

Joel Alvarez (17-2-0) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (25-10-1) Weight class: Lightweight

Gambling 2004 Cast

It's important to say at the outset that Alvarez opened as an almost (-300) favorite before the line was knocked down to its present state. While some might be alarmed at the shift towards Yakovlev, I don't see it as anything more than bettors noting the high-level UFC experience of the Russian fighter. In fact, the only thing I would say in response to the movement is 'thank you,' as it now fits the criteria to be a play in this article series. Why have I kept my confidence?

The first thing that caught my eye was how fluid and agile Alvarez moves around the cage as a tall fighter. Juxtapose this against the plodding, stiff Yakovlev and already we see a marked advantage. The next thing to note is we have an orthodox versus southpaw matchup, which means Alvarez will be able to really fire off those hard kicks to the body we saw against Joe Duffy.

Alvarez is by no means a perfect fighter: he hangs his chin in the air during striking exchanges and offers nothing in the way of takedown defense. But Yakovlev hasn't won a fight by knockout in over four years, and Alvarez has an incredible guard game that accounts for most of the 15 submission wins on his resume. I may look to fade 'El Fenomeno' going forward, but I really think he's drawn a nice matchup here, leaving me no choice but to pay the juice.

The Play:Joel Alvarez -155

Da un Jung (13-2-0) vs. Sam Alvey (33-14-0) Weight class: Light Heavyweight

Alvey has lost four in a row (two by knockout), and it seems pretty likely that Jung will be the one to officially hand him his walking papers. While this line on its own is unquestionably too wide for the level of competition Jung has faced, the style matchup here seems particularly unkind to the smiling one.

Recall that the first fighter to corner and KO Alvey to start this recent losing streak was Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. If we wanted to be incredibly kind, we would say that 'Little Nog's' best days were already behind him at the time (he recently retired), so how did he do it? He was still just as technical of a boxer as he had always been, and retained his power, along with some speed in his hands. Jung is also a technical boxer but will have a speed and athleticism advantage over Alvey (as most fighters at LHW do). He will also carry a three-inch reach advantage. Add all of this up and what you get is a fighter who should be able to find openings in Alvey's defense.

It's always a bit unnerving to pick Alvey to get finished, as he had been so durable for so long, but it just seems like he has a hard time dealing with the speed and power of the fighters at this weight class, and he will work slowly enough to let Jung sit behind his jab before finding the big shot.

The Play:Da Un Jung via KO/TKO/DQ -120

Nathanael Wood (17-4-0) vs. Casey Kenney (15-2-1) Weight class: Catchweight (140lbs)

I missed my guess on Kenney's last fight with Heili Alateng, thinking that hard counters alone would be enough to stop the smothering boxing game and hard body kicks of the 29-year-old. While Alateng didn't have a game well-rounded enough to stave off these attacks, I'm quite confident that Wood does.

The first thing that jumped out at me for this matchup is just how well Wood keeps range, which should leave him less available for the big strikes that reddened Alateng's frame in Round 1. It then becomes a question of whether Casey will be successful playing a kicking game against Wood, who looks to be a much cleaner Muay Thai striker. Lastly, we should note that Wood will have an inch of reach on Kenney, which should allow his accurate counters to find a home more easily. While Casey could fall back on his wrestling game here, Wood boasts a stout 83 percent takedown defense in his five fights and has notched three of his four UFC wins by submission.

At the end of the day, it's hard to see Kenney overwhelming Wood on the feet as he has done to recent opponents, and I think Wood is competent enough on the ground (if it gets there) to get back to his feet or potentially threaten off his back. If betting is about finding the value, it's hard to pass on this spot.

The Play:Nathaniel Wood: +150

Justin Gaethje (22-2-0) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0-0) Weight Class: Lightweight

It's impossible not to respect the prowess and accomplishments of Khabib, but getting one of the elite fighters in this division at nearly a 3-to-1 price is too good to ignore. There are several questions hanging over this fight, but the most pressing one may be 'how will Gaethje deal with a fighter who commits to a wrestling game against him?'

We have seen other fighters try to get him to the floor, but he excels at rolling through and exploding back to his feet in order to resume striking. What we haven't seen is someone who will continue working after the initial resistance from Gaethje. Why do I think he'll be up to the task? Khabib has struggled with takedowns in open space for as long as he has been in the UFC and we have yet to meet the man who can consistently pressure Gaethje up against the fence. If Khabib can't accomplish this, then he'll have to stand for 25 minutes with the retooled striking of Justin and he just hits too hard and is too tricky for me to be confident that Khabib can manage.

To be sure, Khabib may just be able to latch onto him in a way that others couldn't, as fighters constantly report how heavy he feels in top position. I will take my chances all day with this line, however, as Gaethje has too many things going for him to be this big of an underdog.

The Play:Justin Gaethje +280

The highly anticipated UFC 254 takes place on Saturday afternoon, live from 'Fight Island' at the Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

The main event has lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje meeting in a title unification bout. The co-main event has former middleweight champion and No. 1-ranked Robert Whittaker taking on No. 2-ranked Jared Cannonier.

When MMA fans get a great fight card like this, there are certainly plenty of bets to be made. Let's take a look at some of them.

MORE: Save over 25% when you buy UFC 254 and an ESPN+ Annual Plan for only $84.98

UFC 254 odds for Khabib vs. Gaethje

• Khabib Nurmagomedov: -358
• Justin Gaethje: +275

(All odds via BetMGM)

BetMGM has Nurmagomedov installed as a significant favorite — as of Friday, he comes in at -358, meaning you'd need to bet $358 to win $100. Meanwhile, Gaethje is a +275, meaning if you pluck down $100 you'd win $275.

Nurmagomedov (28-0) returns for the first time since UFC 242, beating Dustin Poirier by third-round submission. After losing to Poirier in April 2018, Gaethje has (22-2) rolled through everyone, winning four consecutive bouts, all of which have come inside the distance, including his destruction of Tony Ferguson to win the interim title at UFC 249.

On paper and looking at the odds, it would appear Nurmagomedov wins in a rout. But there two factors that come into play, which could affect the fight.

How does Nurmagomedov handle the loss of his father, who passed away in the summer? His father had been there every step of the way in his son’s journey that has seen him come from wrestling bears to becoming a global superstar. Does Nurmagomedov let the emotions he's feeling in his losing his best friend get to him?

We also need to remember Nurmagomedov is competing for the first time in 13 months. A long layoff affects fighters in different ways. Some perform like they never missed a beat, and it takes others awhile to get back into the rhythm of active competition.

For Gaethje, he's not even supposed to be in this position. The names that roll of the tongue at 155 pounds are Khabib, Conor McGregor, Ferguson, and Poirier. He's playing with house money in this situation.

MORE: UFC 254 start time, full PPV card, how to watch

The path for Khabib to win is pretty simple. While his striking is improved, evidenced by the knockdown of McGregor in their fight at UFC 229, Khabib's bread and butter is getting you to the mat, stick to you like glue and proceed to beat the tar out of you. No one does it better than Nurmagomedov.

But the thing that gives Gaethje a legit chance to win is the way he beat Ferguson. He circled the cage well, stayed away from the back of the cage, kept things mainly in the middle of the Octagon, and, most important, didn't throw every punch and kick like his life depended on it. He didn't overcommit and battered Ferguson until getting the stoppage in the fifth round.

Nurmagomedov does an exceptional job of stalking his prey and methodically getting a fighter's back close enough to the cage to where he can go for the takedown and get it because his opponent has nowhere to move.

If Gaethje can keep the fight on the feet and stay away from the cage, then it's his fight to lose as his striking is exceptionally better than Nurmagomedov's.

Twenty-eight men have tried, and twenty-eight have failed. Will Gaethje be any different?

With everything Nurmagomedov is going through, he finally wears Gaethje down, gets him into his world, and batters him for 25 minutes to remain undefeated and become the undisputed lightweight champion.

Khabib vs. Gaethje prediction

• Muehlhausen pick: Khabib Nurmagomedov
• Best odds: Over 3.5 rounds, +115

More Khabib vs. Gaethje odds

Total number or rounds: over/under

• Over 1.5: -250
• Under 1.5: +205

Total number or rounds: over/under

• Over 3.5: +115
• Under 3.5: -139

Will the fight go the distance?

• Yes: +180
• No: -223

Method of victory

• Nurmagomedov by KO/TKO/DQ or submission: -121
• Nurmagomedov by decision: +275
• Tie/technical tie: +5000
• Gaethje by KO/TKO/DQ or submission: +450
• Gaethje by decision: +800

Whittaker vs. Cannonier odds

• Whittaker: -110
• Cannonier: -110

This comes in at an even fight. Whittaker is at -110, meaning you'd need to wager $110 to win $100, and Cannonier also comes in at -110.

The 29-year-old Whittaker (22-5) rebounded from his middleweight title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 to best Darren Till in at a UFC Fight Night event in July. Since moving to middleweight in November 2014, he is 8-1, with four of those victories coming by stoppage.

We haven't seen much of Whittaker's groundwork because of his fantastic takedown defense, as evidenced by Yoel Romero, an Olympic silver medalist, not being able to get Whittaker on the mat. His striking was top-notch when he went toe-to-toe with Romero and beat him by split decision at UFC 225 in June 2018, one of the best fights of the year.

At one time in his career, Cannonier fought as high as heavyweight before settling in at 185 pounds in November 2018. The move has paid dividends for 'Tha Killa Gorilla', steamrolling through David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson in under a combined six minutes.

If you are a fan of grappling, this fight isn't for you. Both guys prefer to stand and trade and decide things that way. Cannonier has the edge in the striking department as Whittaker got dominated when Adesanya outstruck the Australian to finish him on the feet to take the championship. While Whittaker looked better versus Till, Cannonier possesses more raw power and is a more significant threat to finish him.

The one thing Whittaker has going for him is experience. UFC 254 is one of, if not, the biggest cards of the year. 'Bobby Knuckles' been here before and knows how to handle the moment. How does Cannonier perform when the lights shine the brightest? Does he rise to the occasion?

Gambling 2004

Whittaker will need to press the action and stay inside Cannonier's space and not let him tee off, or it will be an early night at the office. He'll be able to do that, wear Cannonier down, and hand him his first loss at middleweight and inch one step to getting a crack at regaining the gold.

Whittaker vs. Cannonier prediction

• Muehlhausen pick: Robert Whittaker
• Best odds: Under 1.5 rounds; +145