Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone holds several UFC records, including most victories (22) and most bouts with the promotion (30). One thing he has never held is a UFC title belt. But he can get closer to that goal Saturday with a win over Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC Fight Night 151 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The clash of top-10 lightweights highlights the 12-bout card, with the main card slated for 8 p.m. ET and the preliminary bouts set for 5 p.m. ET. The winner of the main event will be in contention for a title shot against either interim champion or Dustin Poirier or suspended sitting champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The No. 8-ranked Cerrone (35-11-1) is a +110 underdog (risk $100 to win $110) against Iaquinta at -130 (risk $130 to win $100) in the latest Cerrone vs. Iaquinta odds. In the co-main event, Derek Brunson takes on Elias Theodorou with both fighters priced at -110 (risk $110 to win $100) in the latest Theodorou vs. Brunson odds. Before you set your UFC Fight Night 151 picks, be sure to see the MMA predictions from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA wagering and DFS shows. Over the past year, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $20,000. It’s an astonishing cash rate that shows the depth of Marley’s knowledge.
Just last week at UFC Fight Night 150, Marley advised SportsLine members that underdog Cory Sandhagen (+115) would upset rugged veteran John Lineker (-135) in a bantamweight bout. The result: Sandhagen used his reach advantage and timing to control most of the action and take a decision victory.
Moreover, at UFC 236, Marley told SportsLine members that underdog Dustin Poirier (+185) would win a close decision against Max Holloway (-225) in a bout for the interim lightweight title. Marley was on point again, as Poirier took the upper hand in a classic and close battle between two of the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters. Anyone who has followed Marley’s advice is way up.
Now, with the UFC Fight Night 151 card fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the 12-fight card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every single fight. He’s sharing them only over at SportsLine.
Marley knows that Iaquinta and Cerrone should be at maximum motivation because the winner has an opportunity to climb the ladder toward a title shot in a stacked lightweight division. Poirier won the interim title by defeating Holloway and holds the top spot, while sitting champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is shelved because of a suspension.
Both main event combatants also appear to be at the peak of their careers. Iaquinta, 32, has won six of his last seven bouts, with the only loss coming by decision to Nurmagomedov in a fight he took on less than a week’s notice. He is coming off a decision win against rising contender Kevin Lee in December.
Cerrone, 36, is known for his durability and fearlessness and is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career. Cerrone has won three of his past four fights and stopped surging prospect Alexander Hernandez in their January bout.
One of Marley’s UFC Fight Night 151 picks we’ll give away is that he’s predicting Andrew Sanchez (-145) to defeat Marc-Andre Barriault by decision in a main-card middleweight bout.
Sanchez (10-4) seeks his second straight win following a two-fight losing streak. Barriault (11-1) makes his UFC debut following six consecutive victories in the TKO promotion.
“Sanchez is going to be looking to get this fight to the ground, and he is pretty active at going for takedowns,” Marley told SportsLine. “He shoots for them early and often and, as long as he lands them and doesn’t gas out, there’s a good chance he wins this fight.”
Marley also has picks locked in for Cerrone vs. Iaquinta, Brunson vs. Theodorou and every other fight on this stacked UFC Fight Night Ottawa card. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Iaquinta vs. Cerrone and Brunson vs. Theodorou? And how does each fight end? Visit SportsLine right now to see which fighters you need to be all over Saturday at UFC Fight Night 151, all from the incomparable expert who’s up more than $20,000 in MMA bets in the last year.
