UFC tips: Smack Paddy with these 3 best bets for UFC 256 in Las Vegas

The pandemic may still be hitting America hard, but the hardest-hitting sport in the world continues to keep pressing on, with the UFC’s latest pay-per-view offering set to go down this weekend in Las Vegas.

UFC 256 features a battle for the flyweight title at the top of the card, plus a host of interesting match-ups as the promotion puts on its final big-numbered show of 2020. So, ahead of the bouts, let’s take the chance to pick out three key value bets that could help turn fight night into a winning one!

5.30am (Sunday): Deiveson Figueiredo v Brandon Moreno – Figueiredo to win by submission

Figueiredo may be a relatively new champion in the UFC, but he’s got all the tools to be a real star for the promotion. He’s exciting, fun to watch and can finish a fight with his fists or his grappling. Against legitimate top contender Moreno, Figueiredo faces a tough test of his credentials but has the skills to beat the Mexican in both spheres, grappling or striking.

But the biggest skill differential lies in the grappling aspect, and the price available on a Figueiredo win by submission looks like the best available option if you’re looking to back the Brazilian this weekend.

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2am (Sunday): Cub Swanson v Daniel Pineda – Pineda To Win By Points

Swanson is one of the most respected, popular fighters among MMA circles – but his run in the UFC may potentially be coming to an end. Swanson has been a long servant of the UFC, but in Pineda he’s facing a fighter who still has more to come from his career, and the Brazilian’s grappling skills could prove to be very useful in this encounter.

If he can dictate where the fight takes place, Pineda has the skills to pick up a big-name victory. The submission win looks attractive, but Swanson has been around the block many times during his career, and is likely to have the experience and defensive nous to take the fight the distance. It means price on a Pineda win on the scorecards seems like the smartest value pick here, as the former PFL fighter looks to build his reputation in the octagon heading into 2021.

1.30am (Sunday): Mackenzie Dern v Virna Jandiroba – Dern to win by submission

Mackenzie Dern’s striking may not be the best, but when the fight goes to the mat there’s nobody in her weight class who can live with her. The Brazilian has returned to the UFC in solid form after having a baby, with two first-round submission finishes of Hannah Cifers and Randa Marko. That means she looks like a solid value bet to add to that tally against fellow Brazilian Jandiroba this weekend.

Jandiroba is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, but Dern’s grappling skills are on a different level and the odds available for her to win by her preferred method seem like a gift from the gods. She has to get past Jandiroba’s striking to get the job done, but it may only need one takedown for Dern to secure the win. The submission finish is way more likely than a KO/TKO finish.

UFC 256 tips summary:

Deiveson Figueiredo v Brandon Moreno: Figueiredo to win by submission
Cub Swanson v Daniel Pineda: Pineda To Win By Points
Mackenzie Dern v Virna Jandiroba: Dern to win by submission

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