A picture of two UFC fighters presented by betting.us

UFC 292 Betting Odds, Expert Picks, Predictions

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 17 August 2023

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

See Full Bio

Less than 15 days since its last numbered event in Salt Lake City, the UFC is back at sea level with an event headlined by one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the year in Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley, preceded by a Women’s Strawweight Championship Bout. Each fight on the card promises plenty of action, with several up-and-coming prospects facing off against established fighters in their respective divisions.

The future of several divisions of the UFC, including Welterweight, Bantamweight, and Women’s Strawweight specifically, will be decided by the outcomes of the fights on the UFC 292 card. In fact, the main card only features bouts in these divisions, giving fans a rare chance to closely observe the different fight styles within a small selection of weight classes.

Apart from the spectacle offered by the three weight classes on the card, there are also plenty of betting opportunities that can potentially be capitalized on. Let’s look at each fight on the card and their likely outcomes as UFC betting sites prepare for an intense weekend.

Bantamweight Championship Bout: Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley

Arguably, the fight around which this entire event was assembled, reigning Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his strap against the highly popular and technically proficient Sean O’Malley. A classic striker vs. grappler matchup, many believe that the fight is as good as done if Sterling is able to grab hold of O’Malley and put his BJJ laurels to the test.

However, it must be noted that Sean O’Malley has repeatedly stated that he will do everything in his power to avoid being grabbed and held by Sterling, with a game plan revolving around turning it into a strike-and-sprawl kind of matchup. However, two important aspects of this fight need to be considered.

One, Aljamain Sterling is on a 9-fight winning streak and has already faced the highest-ranked opposition in the division. Two, Sean O’Malley has yet to face any elite competition in the Bantamweight division outside of Marlon Vera, who quickly dismantled him with leg kicks in two rounds and Petr Yan, who he narrowly defeated in a close split decision.

Most bookies have rated Sterling as the favorite and O’Malley as a narrow underdog, and we’re inclined to agree. We have Sterling either winning by submission or grinding out a decision victory at the end of five rounds.

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Zhang Weilli vs Amanda Lemos

Since her controversial split decision loss to Rose Namajunas in their rematch, Zhang Weilli has put together a couple of stellar performances culminating with a ruthless submission win over then-champion Carla Esparza.

Accordingly, the bout between Zhang Weilli and Amanda Lemos was announced as Weilli’s first title defense since her losses to Rose Namajunas. Unfortunately for Lemos, Weilli has never lost to anyone not named Rose Namajunas since coming to the UFC and has shown tremendous improvements to her skillset in the last couple of years.

Therefore, it would take something spectacular on the part of Lemos to get past Weilli, who relies on an aggressive forward-marching fighting style. Amanda Lemos will stand a fair chance if Weilli opts to stand and trade punches with her. However, Weilli also has an arsenal of wrestling and grappling that she can put into use if the fight starts to tilt in Lemos’ favor on the feet.

Regardless of the outcome, we predict a fast-paced and aggressive bout that is perfectly placed as the co-main event of the evening. As for our pick, we have Zhang Weilli winning.

Welterweight Bout: Neil Magny vs. Ian Garry

Neil Magny is one place removed outside of the top 10 of the Welterweight division and has proven himself to be the gatekeeper of the division: he has only lost to the highest-ranked contenders in the welterweight division and has soundly beaten those fighters who do not make the cut to be in the top-10. Therefore, it’s only fitting that he gets matched up against the undefeated prospect Ian Machado Garry.

Ian Garry gained a massive boost in popularity since defeating Daniel Rodriguez with a beautiful head-kick knockout. The UFC, keen to ride the wave with him, has matched him up against his biggest challenge to date in Neil Magny, an experienced veteran with a record of 28-11.

For comparison, Ian Garry has only been in 12 fights as a pro-fighter; Magny has won more than twice as many fights as Garry has been a part of. Oddsmakers love Garry, and why wouldn’t they? He has a record of 12-0 and is undefeated. Despite Magny being the 4-1 underdog in this fight, it will be closer than what the trend suggests. Our pick is for Ian Garry to win by decision.