UFC Vegas 66 Preview and Vibe-Based Bets

 UFC Vegas 66: Cannonier Vs Strickland

UFC Vegas 66 Takes Place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV on Dec, 17 2022. The Main Event Features Jared Cannonier Taking on Sean Strickland In A Matchup of Elite Middleweights.


    The co-main for the card features two of the most promising young talents in the top-15 at lightweight clash when Arman Tsarukyan faces Damir Ismagulov. Fan-favorite Alex Caceres takes on the last guy to get robbed by Paddy prior to Gordon, Julian Erosa. Two fights very likely to have fireworks kick off the card to set the tone. Let's highlight some main-card fights to watch, some prelims that may stand out, and a vibe-based bet slip.

Main Card Fights To Watch

Arman Tsarukyan Vs Damir Ismagulov

    This could go down as Max/Conor's level of fight where two elite prospects face-off and both may still be elite in 5 years. Tsarukyan showed some very slick grappling in the Gamrot fight and had good striking before tiring. Ismagulov has good grappling and very disciplined jab, but isn't as creative when with mixing it all together. There's a chance it's 13 minutes of grappling and a lot of viewers will not enjoy it, but it will be some of the highest level MMA for the age we've seen from two fighters. Tsarukyan likes to mix it up and ended up losing the Gamrot fight as a result, Ismagulov could jab his way to winning two rounds if the grappling cancels out but there's still a pushed pace overall. While I am not betting on this fight, outside of a dog parlay for fun-not-profit, this and the main event will be must-watch for me.


Drew Dober Vs Bobby Green

    placeholder. Scrappy strikers. Dober has some baseline grappling ability, and uses it more than Green does. If the fight stays standing, Dober has shown greater variety on the feet overall and is the fresher fighter in terms of where they are career wise. Particularly McKinney fight and parts of Riddell showed Dober getting opponents to think low and then land flush high. If Dober struggles to land his kicks, Green has a great ability to keep pushing the pace like the Fiziev fight. The tentativeness that came from the Islam loss seems to be past Dober, and Green is a great test to see if the confidence is fully back, because Green is going to trade. 

Preliminary Standouts

Jake Matthews Vs Matthew Semelsberger

    Grappling machine vs. scrapper. Fun to watch to see Matthews get a revival at development. 

David Dvorak Vs Manel Kape

    Two guys who lost to Mathieu Nicolau fight to see who enters the top 6 at flyweight. 

Vibe-Based Bet-Slip

  • Jared Cannonier To Win: 1 Unit 
    • Cannonier has won against everyone but Adesanya and Whittaker. I feel there's a sizeable gap between that elite level of competition and Strickland, and Cannonier is the gatekeeper for the upper end. Strickland loves to strike high and stay behind the jab. 
  • Drew Dober To Win: .5 Units
    • Dober is a lot cleaner on the feet while still being down to brawl. Dober's granite chin and ability to grapple, as rarely as he uses it, helps him be the more well-rounded fighter as well as having a slight edge on the feet where most of fight will take place. 

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