The UFC travels to The City of Love this weekend, and we’re covering all your betting needs for a Paris, France fight card stacked with top-ranked talent from top to bottom.
Let’s waste no more time and dive right into the most noteworthy betting picks for the UFC Paris preliminary card bouts.
Picks Summary
- Sy Wins & Under 2½ Rounds (-134)
- Oki ML (-194)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Oumar Sy vs. Da Woon Jung
UFC Paris Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout
Saturday, September 28, 2024 – 12:00 PM ET at Accor Arena
Oumar Sy
One of the latest prospects hailing from France is Oumar Sy, and what a damn exciting prospect he is. Standing at 6-foot-4, with an 84-inch reach, unlike most French up-and-comers, Sy is a credible wrestler, and a savage grappling offensive is what’s brought him to the big stage with an unblemished 10-0 record.
- Sy Pro Record: 10-0-0
- Sy KO/TKO Wins: 4
- Sy Submission Wins: 4
Da Woon Jung
Da Woon Jung will arguably be Sy’s most formidable opponent to date, but this is strictly based on UFC experience. The fact of the matter is that the Asian vet has struggled with consistency over the last three years, and three consecutive losses with multiple knockout and submission defeats don’t bode well for the Korean Top Team product.
- Jung Pro Record: 15-5-1
- Jung KO/TKO Wins: 11
- Jung Submission Wins: 2
Sy vs. Jung: Fight Tape Analysis
For those who’ve followed Oumar Sy’s career thus far, you know exactly what to expect at UFC Paris…takedowns, takedowns, and some more takedowns, with a vicious offensive from the top position, whether it’s elbows, fists, or chokes.
Sy doesn’t have the best sample size or fight history to make strong judgments on his future, but at this level, versus a fighter like Jung, who’s very susceptible to takedowns, it should be a top-control dominance in the making.
To Jung’s credit, he does have power in those hands and is likely the more formidable striker of the two. However, once Sy closes the distance, and he will close the distance, he’ll drag this fight to the ground and assert his dominance from top position before eventually finding a knockout or submission stoppage win.
UFC Paris Preliminary Card Odds & Prediction
The UFC pricing with OddsTrader’s top sportsbooks has placed Sy as a significant betting favorite and UFC Paris, and to be honest, it’s difficult to argue this -500 number.
There’s an argument that Sy hasn’t fought anyone, and he’s primed to get exposed at this level. But don’t be fooled; Jung has UFC wins, but four of the five UFC fighters he didn’t lose against are no longer signed with the company. In addition, let’s not forget how Jung was the only man who couldn’t beat Sam Alvey when eight other fighters did during the last stage of his career.
He’s young, explosive, hungry for blood, and undeniably the fighter with the clearest path to victory. I expect Sy to ground Jung, have his way, and finish the fight before a judges’ intervention, as he’s done in 8 of his ten pro bouts to date.
Sy & Under 2½: Supporting UFC Paris Facts
- Sy has won 3 consecutive bouts in round 1
- Sy has won 8 of his 10 pro-MMA bouts inside the first two rounds
- Jung hasn’t won a UFC fight since 2021
- Jung has lost 2 of his previous 3 UFC bouts by KO/TKO or submission
UFC Pick: Sy Wins & Under 2½ Rounds (-134) [1.34u returns 1u profit] at Bet365
Bolaji Oki vs. Chris Duncan
UFC Paris Lightweight Preliminary Bout
Saturday, September 28, 2024 – 12:00 PM ET at Accor Arena
Bolaji Oki
Since losing his professional MMA debut in 2018, Belgium’s Bolaji Oki has been on an absolute tear, and a nine-fight win streak with six stoppages landed him in the UFC earlier this year. This proved well when he fought Timmy Cuama, and despite the split decision result, it was an obvious unanimous win. Now the octagon jitters have passed, can the newcomer return to his heavy-handed, knockout ways?
- Oki Pro Record: 9-1
- Oki KO/TKO Wins: 5
- Oki Submission Wins: 1
Chris Duncan
Scotland’s Chris Duncan was riding high after winning his first two UFC appearances in 2023. Unfortunately for him, he met Manuel Torres earlier this year and was choked into submission within 1 minute and 46 seconds.
Returning from his first UFC defeat, how does Duncan respond? He’s predominantly been a striker throughout his career, but his time with the American Top Team has influenced his wrestling offensive lately. It’s just a question of whether or not his decision-making is wise enough to select the most viable game plan.
- Duncan Pro Record: 11-2-0
- Duncan KO/TKO Wins: 7
- Duncan Submission Wins: 1
Oki vs. Duncan: Fight Tape Analysis
There’s a clear path to victory for Chris Duncan, and it involves some cage wrestling, a potential takedown, and grappling more often than not. That said, we cannot trust his fight IQ to see through with the plan, as he embraces the chaos and will be more than willing to test himself versus a credible striker.
Speaking of credible strikers, that’s precisely what Oki is. He works the jab excellently, well behind his fundamentals and, most notably, his athleticism. With credible durability, he’ll have no problems eating a few shots from Duncan. Still, for the most part, we can expect Oki to remain calm, reset, and stick to a more technical game plan that should involve him piecing up the competition from the outside.
UFC Paris Preliminary Card Odds & Prediction
The UFC odds have Oki as a -194 betting favorite, and it’s the right side to be on. As previously mentioned, Duncan will have the grappling upside. Still, he isn’t a wrestling force, and even if he does create grappling situations, he doesn’t deliver enough damage or control to neutralize such an athletic specimen like Oki.
Even if Duncan’s takedowns work, he won’t finish the fight. Speed and explosiveness combined with a clear striking advantage will allow Oki to unleash his talents and impress the French onlookers in the first fight of the night.
UFC Pick: Oki ML (-194) [1.9u returns 1u profit] at Bet365
*21+ Seek help with a gambling addiction at 1-800-Gambler
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
