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UFC Fight Night Paris is set to get going this weekend from Accor Arena in Paris, France on Saturday, September 3 at 3 p.m. ET. There is a six-bout main card highlighted by a heavyweight title eliminator fight between No. 1 contender Cyril Gane and No. 3 contender Tai Tuivasa. Also notable on the main card is a middleweight grudge match between former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and No. 2 ranked middleweight Marvin Vettori.
Despite threats about moving up to light heavyweight, Whittaker (23-6) is still the second-best middleweight in the world behind Israel Adesanya. In his second fight with Adesanya, he showed a level of grit and toughness that made it a very competitive bout despite the loss. Vettori (18-5-1) could also move up in weight. He looked fine at 205 in his win over Paulo Costa. Neither guy is in line for a title shot and both have already lost twice to Adesanya. This fight is for pride and to settle a grudge.
How to watch Whittaker vs. Vettori
Date: Saturday, September 3
Fight time: Main card starts at 3 p.m.
Live stream: ESPN+
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Whittaker: -210
Vettori: +180
Splits: 68% of handle, 75% of bets on Whittaker
Whittaker’s ability to move and strike at different angles is going to be more than Vettori wants to deal with. That’s not even talking about Whittaker’s wrestling and his takedown defense. Vettori might have a strength advantage and needs to ugly up the fight a bit by working over Whittaker in the cage. If the fight stays at distance, Whittaker will roll to an easy decision victory.
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