The featured prelim of this week’s UFC Fight Night is a Light Heavyweight fight between Julius Walker vs. Rafael Cerqueira. Cerqueira has suffered two straight knockouts in a row, while Walker is coming off his first career loss.
Here is my best bet for Walker vs. Cerqueira at this week’s UFC Fight Night.
Julius Walker Round 1 (-150)
With Walker being a massive -700 favorite against Cerqueira on DraftKings Sportsbook, let’s look at a different way to back Walker. Since all six of Walker’s victories have come by finish, he is -500 to win this bout by KO/TKO/DQ or submission. The best value option is taking Walker to win this fight in the first round, which is -150.
Walker has won five of his six MMA fights in the first round, with his last two coming in the first five minutes. Even after a split decision loss to Alonzo Menifield, Walker still has a bright future with a great chance to get back on track. Walker has the physical advantages in this matchup, being taller by one inch (6’4″ vs. 6’3″) and having a two-inch (78″ vs. 76″) reach advantage.
At 35, Cerqueira has shown that he isn’t very durable, having been finished twice in the first round over the last year. Walker outlanded Menifield 114-113 in total strikes while totaling 5:31 of control time and made a great case to win that fight. After a loss, Walker will likely be more aggressive to start the contest, which may result in another first-round finish for the 26-year-old.
