UFC 289 Preliminary and Early Prelims Prediction and Best Bets: Where’s the Best Early Value?

UFC 289 is quickly approaching, leaving MMA enthusiasts excited to see how the action unfolds at Rogers Place in Vancouver, BC on Saturday, June 10. Although a lot of the focus has been on the main card bouts, the preliminary and early prelims cards also offer their fair share of intriguing matchups.

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Fortunately, Betting News has gathered the latest odds for all of UFC 289’s preliminary and early prelims fights, along with our prediction for each matchup.

UFC 289 Preliminary Card & Odds (Odds as of Thursday, June 8)

The UFC 289 odds listed below are via BetOnline Sportsbook.

Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavov (-160) vs. Chris Curtis (+124)

Nassourdine Imavov (12-4) hopes to bounce back after a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland ended his winning streak at three straight fights. Meanwhile, Chris Curtis (30-10) aims to rebound from his own unanimous decision loss, which came at the hands of Kelvin Gastelum back in April.

Although both men are coming off losses, I like Imavov’s chances of redemption. His latest losses came as a light heavyweight, whereas he’s 4-1 as a middleweight under the UFC umbrella. He’s also knocked out two of his last three middleweight opponents, putting him in a good spot to beat Curtis, who absorbs 6.22 significant strikes per minute.

Having said that, Curtis has only been finished twice in 40 previous bouts, meaning it’s more likely that Imavov wins with some help from the judges.

Best Bet: Nassourdine Imavov to Win by Points (+170)

Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (-320) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (+235)

Miranda Maverick (11-4) heads into UFC 289 looking to push her winning streak to three fights in a row. On the other side, Jasmine Jasudavicius (8-2) will do everything she can not to let her fellow Canadians down after beating Gabriella Fernandes by points in her latest outing.

It’s hard to doubt Maverick heading into this clash. Age is on her side as she’s nine years younger than Jasudavicius. Maverick also dishes out 3.74 significant strikes per minute with better striking defense (60%) than her upcoming opponent (2.92 and 51%, respectively). That’s not even to mention how the 25-year-old is also the more accurate grappler (61% vs. 41%).

I still expect to see a competitive bout after Jasudavicius’ last six fights have gone the distance, making it more likely that Maverick wins by points here.

Best Bet: Miranda Maverick to Win by Points (-120)

Bantamweight: Aiemann Zahabi (-108) vs. Aori Qileng (-118)

In a fight that could go either way, Aiemann Zahabi (9-2) has momentum on his side following back-to-back wins against Drako Rodriguez and Ricky Turcios. Meanwhile, Aori Qileng (24-9) is also coming off two straight victories since his bantamweight return, most recently defeating Jay Perrin by points back in August.

Although Aori is the slight favorite, I won’t be shocked if Zahabi notches the upset. As great as Aori is at firing out strikes, he also absorbs 7.18 significant blows per minute. Zahabi is a decent striker with five knockout wins to his name and his 72% striking defense rate will help weather his opponent’s storm.

I’m not sure how he’ll notch the victory, so let’s stick with Zahabi winning outright as the best bet at UFC 289.

Best Bet: Aiemann Zahabi to Win Outright (-108)

Featherweight: Kyle Nelson (+196) vs. Blake Bilder (-260)

Kyle Nelson (13-5-1) aims to put his losing ways behind him this weekend, having gone an abysmal 1-4-1 in his last six fights. It won’t be easy seeing as Blake Bilder (8-0-1) has yet to taste defeat in his young MMA career.

With how poorly Nelson has performed, I doubt his Canadian return will provide much of a boost. Bilder is the better fighter at the moment and has won six straight fights, finishing off four of his past five foes (three by submission, one by TKO).

Considering how Nelson has been finished off thrice since his UFC debut, I won’t be shocked if he doesn’t last the full 15 minutes. Let’s go with a double-chance bet for this fight by taking Bilder to win by submission or knockout.

Best Bet: Blake Bilder to Win by Submission or KO/TKO (-105)

UFC 289 Early Prelims Card & Odds

Flyweight: David Dvorak (-330) vs. Steve Erceg (+240)

After winning 16 straight fights over the course of a decade, David Dvorak (20-5) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. He looks to turn things around against the debuting Steve Erceg (9-1), who’s on an eight-fight winning streak.

Although Erceg has momentum on his side, I’m taking Dvorak’s experience to prevail. The debuting Australian has yet to face a fighter at the UFC level and has a lot left to prove. Dvorak already has three wins under the promotion and is due to get back on track.

There aren’t other betting markets available for this fight at the time of writing, though, making Dvorak winning outright the only option.

Best Bet: David Dvorak to Win Outright (-330)

Women’s Strawweight: Diana Belbita (-111) vs. Maria Oliveira (-115)

Diana Belbita (14-7) must turn her career around before it’s too late after losing three of her previous four contests. Meanwhile, Maria Oliveira’s (13-6) UFC record dropped to 1-3 with a unanimous decision loss to Vanessa Demopoulos seven months ago.

Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of this fight. Neither woman has been that impressive, making choosing a victor somewhat difficult. They also average similar striking and grappling numbers, proving that oddsmakers are right when they predict that this fight could go either way at UFC 289.

Having said that, I’ll side with Oliveira. Her most recent win came against Gloria de Paula, who defeated Belbita just four months before that fight. Again, only the moneyline is available here, so take Oliveira to win outright.

Best Bet: Maria Oliveira to Win Outright (-115)

UFC 289 Event Details

When is UFC 289?

UFC 289 will take place on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Where is UFC 289?

UFC 289 will take place at Rogers Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

What time does UFC 289 start?

• UFC 289 Early Prelims Card: 7 p.m. ET
• UFC 289 Preliminary Card Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC 289’s Main Card: 10 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC 289?

The early prelims action can be viewed through the UFC Fight Pass. Following that, the UFC 289 preliminary card airs on both ESPN and ESPN+ before the main card takes place on ESPN+ and through pay-per-view providers.

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• UFC 289 Full Card Preview, Odds, and Schedule
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