UFC on ESPN 50: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font

The UFC is coming off of one of its most stacked cards in recent memory at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City. The promotion will follow that up with one its stronger non-pay-per-view cards in some time with UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tennessee on August 5th. There will be a huge top 10 bout in the women’s strawweight division between No. 5 Jessica Andrade and No. 10 Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event as well as a tasty matchup in the bantamweight division between No. 7 contender Rob Font and No. 4 Cory Sandhagen, with Suarez and Sandhagen both coming in as massive moneyline favorites on all UFC betting sites and betting apps.

UFC on ESPN 50: Sandhagen vs. Font Betting Odds - August 5th

The main card will feature five ranked fighters, including the women’s strawweight battle between Andrade and Suarez and a bantamweight bout in the main event featuring Sandhagen and Font that is sure to bring fireworks to Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font Bantamweight Main Event Betting Odds

Cory Sandhagen comes into the bout with a 16-4 professional record, including seven KOs and three submissions. The 31-year-old Sandman comes in at 5’11” with a 69.5 inch reach, which gives him a three-inch height advantage over Rob Font, but also a two-inch reach disadvantage as well. After losing back-to-back fights to TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, Sandhagen is now on a two-fight winning streak after a TKO win over Song Yadong and a dominant split decision triumph over Marlon Vera.

His 36-year-old opponent, Font, will enter the octagon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with a 20-6 pro record including nine knockouts and four submissions. Font has fought the cream of the crop in the bantamweight in recent fights, beating Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and Cody Garbrandt on the bounce before suffering two decision losses to Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera. Font is coming off a TKO win over No. 14 Adrian Yanez in his most recent bout at UFC 287 in April.

In 46 combined pro fights, Sandhagen and Font have been beaten inside the distance just twice, with each fighter suffering a single submission loss. Three of the Sandman’s last four fights have gone the distance, and the same goes for six of Font’s last eight fights. Six of those fights went past the fourth round, so if you want some good value here with Sandhagen sitting as such a big favorite, the -114 odds for this fight to reach the final bell are looking very intriguing.

Font is the more technical boxer of the two, but basically every other advantage swings the way of the Sandman. The No. 4 bantamweight has great cardio, great striking volume, a nice array of striking options, and he’s shown more of a willingness to level change in recent fights.

Font will have a tough time finding a rhythm while dealing with Sandhagen’s dynamic movement and combinations, and the underdog’s poor takedown defense could allow Sandhagen to rain down blows in the ground and pound. We like Sandhagen here, but with those odds there’s no use in trying his moneyline market.

Font has never been knocked out, but in his last two losses he was knocked down several times, so if you think the 36-year-old Font and his previously reliable chin are on the downturn, Sandhagen’s +175 odds to win by KO/TKO offer the most value. If you want to hedge, a bet on the fight to go the distance at -114 and another wager on Sandhagen by TKO at +175 would be a safe way to go.

Jessica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez Women’s Strawweight Co-Main Event Odds

Jessica Andrade will try to stay relevant in the championship conversation by stopping the Tatiana Suarez comeback tour in the co-main event, but she’s got quite a task ahead of her there. Suarez comes in with a 9-0 record, including four finishes in her six UFC fights, three of which were submissions.

Andrade is a tough fighter with a varied attack, and while she is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, she’s more of a stand-up fighter. Andrade has also lost twice already this year, including a submission loss in February to another submission artist in Erin Blanchfield.

Suarez seems like she hasn’t lost a step since returning from a 3.5 year hiatus with a guillotine choke win in February, and with five losses in her last nine fights, Andrade is starting to look like something of a gatekeeper for the division rather than a real contender. Unless you believe Andrade can rediscover her championship form, the only bets worth a look here are Suarez to win by submission at -120 or Suarez by decision, which is at much more attractive +200 odds.