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UFC 289 will be taking place this Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia live at Rogers Arena. The five-fight main card gets started at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 10, and will be highlighted by the women’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes (22-5, 13 KO) and Irene Aldana (14-6, 8 KO). Prior to Nunes-Aldana, we will see a men’s featherweight clash featuring Kyle “The Monster” Nelson (13-5-1, 5 KO) and Blake “El Animal” Bilder (8-0-1, 1 KO) on the preliminary card.
Nelson is a 32-year-old Canadian that stands at 5’11. Active in UFC since 2012, Nelson has already competed once this year, earning a draw against Choi Doo-ho in Las Vegas back in February. Fast forward to now, and “The Monster” will tangle with “El Animal”—imagine the possibilities.
Bilder — standing at 5’8 — is the same age as Nelson and has never suffered a professional defeat over his five-year pro career. The lone blemish on Bilder’s resume comes for a split-decision Draw against Dennis Linton back in 2018. In Bilder’s most recent fight — also last February (UFC 284) — he was able to dominate Shane Young, earning a UD victory in the process.
How to watch Kyle Nelson vs. Blake Bilder
Date: Saturday, June 10
Fight time: Preliminary card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN and ESPN+ via WatchESPN or the ESPN app
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Nelson: +205
Bilder: -245
Splits: 92% of handle and 86% of bets are on Blake Bilder moneyline.
The round total for Nelson-Bilder has been set at 2.5. 96% of handle and 63% of bets are on Under 2.5.
There is heavy support on Bilder in this match. Despite being the smaller fighter, Bilder has shown more explosiveness in recent outings compared to Nelson, who is coming off a Draw.
The betting splits pertaining to the round total show some interesting action. With 96% percent of handle on Under 2.5 (compared to only 63% of bets), that suggests “sharp money” is all-in on an early stoppage finish.