UFC Vegas 101 Punching Parlay: New Year, New Violence, More Betting
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David Manyun
- January 8, 2025
UFC Parlay
- Roman Kopylov ML (-251)
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov ML (-210)
UFC Pick: Two-Legged Parlay (+107) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The UFC returns to Vegas following a four-week hiatus for an action-packed evening of octagon violence and the first event of the New Year.
Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas top the bill. And, of course, I’m here to supplement your UFC parlay betting needs with the perfect parlay selections.
Below are two of my favorite moneyline selections from the UFC Vegas 101 fight card. After thoroughly analyzing these UFC odds and betting markets, I think they present the perfect pairing for this week’s edition of the ‘Punching Parlay.’
UFC Vegas 101 Information
- Date & Time: Saturday, January 11, 2025 – 04:00 PM ET
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Scheduled Fights: 14
- Main Event: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas (UFC Women’s Strawweight Bout)
Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov Betting Preview
UFC Vegas 101 Middleweight Bout
Curtis: The Story So Far
With 41 pro-MMA bouts on his record, nine under the UFC banner, and a position amongst Dana White’s middleweight elite, Chris Curtis has become a household name at 185lbs. Still, a failure to break through the division’s best while time was on his side doesn’t look great for his chances moving forward.
Aged 37, with such a long tenure of getting punched in the face, I believe 2025 and beyond will position the training partner of Sean Strickland as nothing more than a gatekeeper of the middleweight division, and it all starts this weekend when he welcomes a young and prosperous Roman Kopylov to the octagon.
- Curtis Pro MMA Record: 31-11-0
- Curtis Knockout Wins: 15
- Curtis Submission Wins: 3
Kopylov: The Story So Far
Kopylov, 32, isn’t exactly the youngest buck in terms of age. However, with only 16 career bouts and eight with the UFC, his longevity is significantly higher than that of his weekend opponent. Considering his impressive performances thus far, you have to believe that his ceiling is also significantly higher than Curtis’s.
Beginning 2024 with an RNC loss to “Fluffy” Hernandez wasn’t the perfect way to begin the year, but almost a year later, Kopylov can rectify his past New Year celebrations when faced with the biggest name of his career, and based on this stylistic matchup, it’s hard not to like his chances of making it six wins in his last seven fights.
- Kopylov Pro MMA Record: 13-3-0
- Kopylov Knockout Wins: 11
- Kopylov Submission Wins: 0
UFC Vegas 101 Curtis vs. Kopylov: Skillset Breakdown
Styles make fights, is the motto, and these two particular styles should present a kickboxing war this weekend in Vegas. For Kopylov, it becomes a concern whenever his cardio is pushed to the brink. Fortunately for him, however, Curtis isn’t going to pressure forward or consistently have the wrestling advantage.
Kickboxing is the bread and butter of both fighters’ games, but the speed and lateral movement of Russia’s Kopylov have my money.
Kopylov Moneyline Reasoning
Curtis’ plodding forward movement and lackadaisical approach isn’t going to fare well when opposed to the serious striking threats Kopylov presents. We just watched Russia outperform Cesar Almeida, who’s a one-dimensional striker, and now, he’s facing Curtis, who’s also pretty one-dimensional but arguably a lesser threatening striker that’s older and slower with a huge amount of damage suffered over his 41-fight-career.
Expect the jab, the low kicks, and Kopylov’s overall striking offensive at kickboxing range to propel himself above Curtis in the striking numbers. I don’t anticipate much wrestling, but to support our play even more, Kopylov is undoubtedly the more talented grappler of the two. The available UFC odds favor Nicolau at -251.
UFC Parlay Leg 1: Kopylov ML (-251) at BetOnline
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes Betting Preview
UFC Vegas 101 Light Heavyweight Bout
Gadzhiyasulov: The Story So Far
Undefeated goes against a 13-1 record in a clash of light heavyweight newcomers this Saturday, but it’s notably Dagestan, Russia’s Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, who enters Vegas with an unblemished record.
Last year, we watched Gadz run through Jose Medina to earn a UFC contract. Then, in his promotional debut, he took a nod from the judges and won a decision over Brendson Ribeiro. The unbeaten Russian now looks to reach double digits without defeat in the first UFC card of 2025 versus a fellow up-and-comer.
- Gadzhiyasulov Pro MMA Record: 9-0-0
- Gadzhiyasulov Knockout Wins: 4
- Gadzhiyasulov Submission Wins: 1
Lopes: The Story So Far
Lopes’ UFC journey hasn’t been as plain sailing as his weekend foe. The Brazilian dominated on the regional scene, with all but one of his 10 pro wins ending by KO/TKO or submission. Unfortunately, his first opportunity at UFC stardom on DWCS ended in a round-one knockout loss to Ribeiro.
It didn’t, however, take Lopes long to earn another DWCS shot. After returning to LFA and claiming the promotion’s light heavyweight championship for a second time, he picked up a contract for the UFC via DWCS last August with a vicious set of strikes to his opponent’s body that resulted in a second-round KO/TKO success.
- Lopes Pro MMA Record: 13-1-0
- Lopes Knockout Wins: 6
- Lopes Submission Wins: 4
UFC Vegas 101 Gadzhiyasulov vs. Lopes: Skillset Breakdown
It’s safe to say that Lopes is likely to be the most efficient and effective striker of the two. However, this isn’t a kickboxing contest, and it’s a story we’re all too familiar with, where a Dagestani fighter is a top-heavy, elite wrestler who can nullify all offense from the opposition by dominating fights on the ground.
Surprisingly, however, Gadzhiyasluov has fundamental and clean striking capable of hanging on the feet. Although we’re led to believe a striking matchup is Lopes’ best path to victory, it wouldn’t be surprising to witness the Dagestani hold the power and speed advantage.
The problem with Lopes’ striking efforts is that he’s too damn slow to the mark. Not to mention, when you re-watch his fights on the regional scene, you’ll struggle not to find a fight where he doesn’t get dropped even in success.
There are too many red flags around Lopes’ overall skillset to back him in this one, and ultimately, I could envision Gadzhiyasulov winning the contest standing or grounded, with the latter most likely being the clearer path to victory.
Gadzhiyasulov Moneyline Reasoning
We have an all-rounder in Gadzhiyasulov who’s already won his UFC debut, displayed a versatile style capable of mixing it up to keep his record clear of defeat versus Lopes, who’s making his promotional debut, presents questionable durability, and a lone loss on his record to the same fighter (Brendson Ribeiro) that Gadzhiyasulov defeated last summer.
The available UFC odds with Bookmakers Review favor Gadzhiyasulov, and rightfully so. However, to my delight, we’re receiving a respectable price of -210, which takes our parlay into plus-money territory to kick-start our year the right way.
UFC Parlay Leg 2: Gadzhiyasulov ML (-210) at BetOnline
The Parlay
- Roman Kopylov ML (-251)
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov ML (-210)
UFC Pick: Two-Legged Parlay (+107) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
