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Some much-needed fun is coming to Hollywood as the UFC comes to Los Angeles for a loaded pay-per-view card.

UFC 311 previously featured Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukan, but the latter of that main event was forced to pull out because of a back injury.

Tough luck for the UFC and the fans; that main event would have been fun to watch.

Islam Makhachev of Russia is seen on stage during the UFC 311 press conference at Intuit Dome on Jan. 16, 2025 in Inglewood, Calif. Zuffa LLC

Still, we’re looking at some betting value here at UFC 311 and there should be plenty this weekend.

Islam Makhachev is by far the best lightweight in the world and it’s hard to ever bet against him.

That gets all the more difficult now that he gets to face a short notice replacement in Moicano.

Makhachev has only lost one time early in his UFC career by knockout but at this point his striking has improved to a level where combined with his grappling its very difficult to envision him losing by knockout.

Now he gets to fight Moicano who doesn’t defend takedowns nearly well enough to battle Makhachev.

Moicano defends takedowns at a 72 percent clip, a pretty average number that will be exploited against Makhachev.

Look for Makhachev to maneuver through these grappling exchanges with ease and come away with a victory.

PICK: Makhachev by submission (+110, DraftKings)

Renato Moicano of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC 311 official weigh-in at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown on Jan. 17, 2025 in Los Angeles. Zuffa LLC

Umar Nurmagomedov has never lost a round and never lost a fight in his fighting career, another big favorite from Dagestan, Russia comes into focus in the co-main event.

He faces Georgian star Merab Dvalishvili who has a crazy forward motor where he is constantly pushing his opponents to the cage and get takedows.

Dvalishvili is live to get meme-level KO’d in this bout considering his lack of defense and Nurmagomedov’s incredible striking prowess.

He’s the better fighter everywhere, although perhaps Dvalishvili has better cardio.

Regardless, I’m looking for a flying knee or head kick knockout to end Dvalishvili’s night a bit earlier than we’ve seen in the past.

PICK: Umar Nurmagomedov by KO/TKO (+850, FanDuel)

• Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano: Makhachev by submission (+110, DraftKings)
• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov: Nurmagomedov by KO/TKO (+850, FanDuel)
• Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill: Jamahal Hill by KO +188 (ESPN BET)
• Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder: Holland by submission (+1200, FanDuel)
• Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos: Talbott wins in round one or two (+110, FanDuel)
• Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac: Almeida by KO/TKO (+310, Caesars)
• Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana: Elekana ML (+300, Caesars)
• Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira: Dawson by decision (+160, FanDuel)
• Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev: Bekoev ML (-190, Fanatics)
• Karol Rosa vs. Ailin Perez: Ailin Perez ML (+210, BetMGM)
• Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov: Nakamura wins inside the distance (+180, Bet365)
• Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj: Sopaj by decision (+110, ESPN BET)
• Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter: Clayton Carpenter ML (+260, Caesars)

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.