Combat sports are amongst the most physically demanding of any sports and perhaps the 
toughest of all is the Mixed Martial Arts based UFC. Dana Whyte’s brainchild has come a long way from its humble beginnings and now boasts some of the boggest box-office fighters, as well as some of the top fight meetings in the world today. This weekend one such meet will take place with the 12-bout UFC 249.
Despite the initial disappointment of the top of the bill clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson being shelved, the UFC have found Ferguson a fantastic opponent in the talented and unbeaten Justin Gaethje in the most intriguing fight of the night. Two big-hitting heavyweights Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik also clash on the evening which also features an intriguing featherweight clash between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar.
The UFC 249 event offers some of the best betting available this weekend across the globe with a number of stellar contests scheduled to take place. If you would like to enjoy a wager on this event and want to sign up with a bookmaker that offers outstanding betting markets on UFC events, as well as great odds across the board, then the latest bet365 New Customer Promotion is the one to use to sign up to get an additional bonus when you join.
Top Fights at UFC 249
Tony Ferguson (4/7) v (6/4) Justin Gaethje (Lightweight)
After his fight with Nurmagomedov fell through, people wanted to see Tony Ferguson, unbeaten since 2013, tested and that is precisely what they have got after the unbeaten prospect Justin Gaethje was named as his replacement opponent for UFC 249.
Gaethje has earned the nickname “The Highlight” for a number of incredible performances in his six wins so far, four of which have earned him the Fight of the Night award. However, he is facing a step up in class against the 15-1 Ferguson, a fighter who has proved to be as entertaining and dominating as Gaethje has. Ferguson is the bookies favourite and as talented as Gaethje is, it is hard to see him ending Ferguson’s long run of victories on Saturday night.
Henry Cejudo (4/9) v (15/8) Dominick Cruz (Bantamweight)
Henry Cejudo is a man on a mission to prove himself as the best ever combat athlete in history and the confidence of the Bantamweight belt holder has been backed up with some stellar wins over previous champions in this division. On Saturday he faces another in the very dangerous Dominick Cruz.
Cruz stepped in when original opponent Jose Aldo was unable to make it to UFC 249 and it promises to be an enthralling match up. Cruz has struggled with injuries which have limited his participation over the years and he would be ranked much higher but for that. This will be a real test of Cejudo’s ability against a man who has shocked more favoured opponents several times before.
Francis Ngannou (4/11) v (9/4) Jairzinho Rozenstruik (Heavyweight)
Don’t expect this battle of two destructive heavyweight contenders to go on for too long. Of the 24 
bouts that these two fighters have been involved in, 23 have failed to go the distance and that means that there is the potential for real fireworks as Ngannou and Rozenstruijk clash on Saturday night.
Ngannou has won his last three bouts in a total of 142 seconds, while Rozenstruijk has won all ten of his contests since joining the UFC. The less experienced of the two Rozenstruijk called for a step up in quality for his next opponent and he has landed precisely that in the form of the superb Ngannou. Whoever lands the win here, and I think Ngannou just shades it, should be in a strong position to challenge for the heavyweight belt in the near future.
Jeremy Stephens (2/1)v (2/5) Calvin Kattar (Featherweight)
If you are going to go anywhere in the UFC featherweight division, then it is likely at some point you are going to test yourself against the durable veteran Jeremy Stephens. The talented fighter has hung around the top ten for many years now and although his results have not been that great of late, he has shown enough quality to suggest one big win could put him back up into real contention.
However, Calvin Kattar is aiming to achieve precisely that having built up a solid record over the years. Having lost the last time out in Russia, Kattar has plenty to prove but he will start as the favourite in this one and if he performs as he did in the last round in Russia, he should earn the victory here.
Greg Hardy (1/2) v (17/10) Yorgan De Castro (Heavyweight)
There’s plenty at stake here for both these fighters in what should be another exciting heavyweight clash on the main card. Hardy has been scrutinised for most of his career and despite going 2-2 in his rookie season, he has shown flashes of real skill, power and quality, despite losing his last bout to Russian Alexander Volkov on points.
De Castro is not as experienced as Hardy and has not fought the same calibre of opponents to land his 6-0 record so far and the experts feel that of the two, he is the one that is most likely to end up on the losing side of this bout. However, if he can channel his youthful power and land a win here, that could well propel him into the upper echelons of the heavyweight division and make a few of the big names take notice.
Other UFC 249 Contests
Donald Cerrone (5/4) v (4/6) Anthony Pettis (Lightweight)- Aleksei Oleinik (5/2) v (3/10) Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight)
- Carla Esparza (4/6) v (5/4) Michelle Waterson (Strawweight)
- Ronald Souza (4/5) v (Evens) Uriah Hall (Middleweight)
- Vicente Luque (4/11) v (9/4) Niko Prize (Welterweight)
- Bryce Mitchell (5/8) v (13/10) Charles Rosa (Featherweight)
- Ryan Spann (1/4) v (3/1) Sam Alvey (Light Heavyweight)
Tune in on Saturday evening for the free to air preliminary card matches followed by the main event which is scheduled for pay per view. You can enjoy all the top betting from UFC 249 this weekend at bet365 Sport.
*All odds shown were correct as of 10.30am on Wednesday 6th May 2020 with bet365 Sport.
