UFC Vegas 98: Royval vs Taira comes to us this week from the UFC Apex. Tatsuro Taira looks to stake his claim as one of the top flyweight prospects in the world. Looking to turn him away and take his own step back towards the title is Brandon Royval. We hit that fight and dig through the rest of the card to give you our UFC Vegas 98 best bets. Come check out these UFC Vegas 98 picks for Saturday.
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UFC Vegas 98: Royval vs Taira – Predictions & Best Bets
Clayton Carpenter ML (-200) vs. Lucas Rocha
There’s a lot of lines with big numbers out there that I like this week, but we’re going to start off with some chalk. Clayton Carpenter has long been one of my favorite flyweight prospects. When he won on the Contender Series, he showed his wrestling can be a great equalizer. That win has aged particularly well as his opponent, Edgar Chairez, has gone on to the UFC as well and looked good too. Now Carpenter gets a favorable matchup with Rocha, who has had issues being taken down in the past.
Jared Gooden ML (+165) vs. Chidi Njokuani
Maybe Jared Gooden hasn’t instilled confidence in his two UFC runs, but I believe he’s getting another good matchup here. Much like his fight with Wellington Turman, he finds himself against an opponent known for tiring in the fight. While Gooden won’t be the more technically skilled fighter, his ability to put away an opponent hangs around with those powerful hands. If Chidi gasses out early as he has in the past, expect “Nite Train” to turn it on and take this one.
Ramazonbek Temirov – Wins via (T)KO (+250)
The newcomer Temirov comes to the UFC from the Japanese promotion Rizin. In each of his last four bouts, he scored a (T)KO stoppage. Overall, 10 of his 17 wins have come with his hands. Despite that fact and the fact that he’s a big favorite, the prop here is still pretty sweet. A lot of that can be attributed to the toughness of CJ Vergara. However, I think the power of the newcomer is a game changer.
Cody Haddon – Wins via (T)KO (+275)
Speaking of newcomers with put away power, I really like Cody Haddon here. To be honest, I think there’s plenty of value on his moneyline as well, but the way his hands looked on the Contender Series has be salivating over this prop. He cuts angles extremely well and is able to pour it on when needed. He’s also shown some solid takedown defense. If he can force Argueta to strike with him for the better part of 15 minutes, I think he’ll find the finish.
Junior Tafa vs Sean Sharaf – Over 1.5 Rounds (+220)
We’ve got a pair of fighters in this one who love to throw bombs and typically don’t go late into fights. Although with just 12 fights between the two of them, there isn’t all that big of a sample size. Plus, with each having big KO power, I think you might see one or both of them playing it a bit more safe than they typically would. If they are able to survive for just seven and a half minutes, we’ll get a great return.
Jun Yong Park – Wins via Submission (+1000)
If you follow me and these columns, you know I always end these things with a bang, You could do a lot worse than throwing your pizza money at a submission prop in the co-main event. While Brad Tavares has always been a tough fighter to put away, we’ve seen a deterioration of his grappling skills as he ages. Additionally, all three of Park’s last three wins have come by rear naked choke. Those trends are hard to overlook with a number this big on the board.
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