09/02/2022 18:08:00 • 4 min 32 sec read. Twitter link

A potential heavyweight title eliminator headlines the UFC’s return to France when hometown hero Ciryl Gane exchanges violent pleasantries with the brick-fisted Tai Tuivasa in the main event of UFC Paris on Saturday. Read on for our top UFC Fight Night parlay picks.

Gane came tantalizingly close to wrapping undisputed championship gold around his waist at UFC 270, dropping a unanimous decision to division boogeyman Francis Ngannou. It actually looked as though the towering Frenchman won the first two rounds, forcing the heavy-hitting Ngannou to resort to wrestling to pull out the victory.

Taking a more circuitous route to heavyweight’s upper echelon, Tai Tuivasa pulled himself off the division’s scrap heap with five consecutive knockout finishes, including a scintillating, face-planting KO of heavyweight stalwart Derrick Lewis.

Also on the card: a middleweight showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and one-time challenger Marvin Vettori, and a lightweight bout pitting John Makdessi against Nasrat Haqparast.

Here are my top parlay picks for UFC Fight Night on Sept. 3 (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Ciryl Gane (-500) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+400) Robert Whittaker (-210) vs. Marvin Vettori (+180) Alessio Di Chirico (-110) vs. Roman Kopylov (-110) Nasrat Haqparast (-230) vs. John Makdessi (+195) Charles Jourdain (-150) vs. Nathaniel Wood (+130) Abusupiyan Magomedov (-275) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+230) Michal Figlak (-200) vs. Fares Ziam (+170) Joaquin Buckley (+215) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (-255) Benoit Saint-Denis (-285) vs. Gabriel Miranda(+240) Khalid Taha (-120) vs. Cristian Quinonez (+100) Ailin Perez (+210) vs. Stephanie Egger (-250) Jarno Errens (+185) vs. William Gomis (-215)

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Barring a “puncher’s chance” style knockout from the dynamite-fisted Tuivasa, this is Gane’s fight to lose. Already proven himself amongst the division’s absolute elite with a razor-close decision loss to heavyweight kingpin Ngannou, Gane is a faster, more polished striker who lands with more accuracy and at a higher rate. I expect the more patient, uber-athletic  Gane to eschew a firefight and instead safely blast Tuivasa from the outside with stinging kicks and straight punches.

Gane will pile up the points against the durable Tuivasa, eventually scoring a late-round TKO/KO or a lopsided decision.

In a battle to determine the division’s ultimate bridesmaid, the winner of Whittaker-Vettori will be firmly entrenched as the No. 2 middleweight on the planet. Whittaker, AKA “Bobby Knuckles” is the better all-round fighter, with a seasoned, well-rounded striking game and excellent takedown defense (83%) that’ll come in handy against the less-polished Vettori.

I expect Whittaker to outwork the Italian for 15 minutes. With all of the impossibly tough Vettori’s five career losses going the distance, and Whittaker’s last stoppage victory coming in 2017, this bout will likely reach the judge’s scorecards.

If you’re expecting Whittaker to emerge victorious, there’s tremendous value in betting on a decision.

Magomedov’s return will be worth the wait. Following a nearly two-year hiatus, and a UFC debut that’s been scrapped multiple times, “Abus” will knock off the ring rust by completely mauling Stoltzfus. A solid wrestler, Magomedov will exploit Stolzfus’ lackluster takedown defense (46%) and has the requisite power to spark the Pennsylvanian on the feet. There does not seem like too many avenues toward a Stoltzfus victory, as he has too many holes in his game for Magomedov to exploit.

The safest pick is Magomedov straight up, but if you’re feeling frisky, there’s some value in betting that he’ll finish inside the distance (Magomedov by KO/TKO/DQ) at +175 at DraftKings.

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel Sportsbook Caesars Sportsbook DraftKings Sportsbook PointsBet BetMGM

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UFC Fight Night parlay picks made on 9/2/2022 at 3:38 p.m. ET

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