UFC 264: Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson will highlight the co-main event at the UFC 264. These two guys are looking to receive another shot at the welterweight title, and in order to do this, a win on Saturday night is an absolute must. Burns’ last match was against Usman, and he couldn’t dethrone the Nigerian Nightmare. On the other side, “Wonderboy” Thompson is making his final push towards the title shot. One of the most entertaining fighters in the previous decade doesn’t have too much time until retirement.

Preview

Gilbert Burns (+140) opened the clash with Usman perfectly, stunning the champ with one ferocious hit but failing to utilize that moment. Instead of rushing in and finishing the battle, which is something he knows very well, Durinho gave a chance to Usman to regroup, and once you do that against the champ, there is no way back.

Grappling maestro, who upgraded his punching arsenal, Burns became one of the best welterweight fighters throughout time. Before Usman, the Brazilian had six consecutive victories.

Two were in the lightweight division against Aubin-Mercier and Mike Davis. The remaining four in welterweight, Alexey Kunchenko, Gunnar Nelson, Demian Maia, and the last one against Tyron Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champ.

Stephen Thompson (-170) was the guy against whom Woodley won the title. The UFC 205 and 209 were some of the most spectacular ever. Their first matchup ended with a majority draw and the second with Woodley’s majority decision win. Even today, many believe that the Chosen One didn’t deserve to get the belt.

Wonderboy is one of the best-prepared guys in the UFC. Despite him being 38 years old, we believe that his cardio and overall shape are impeccable. After all, his last two wins against Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal both ended with Thompson’s unanimous decision victory against Neal after five rounds.

He is a karate guy, with strong and clean punches, but also able to create a flurry of the same and obliterate the opponents. Thompson did have a slowdown throughout 2018 and 2019, losing to Darren Till and Anthony Pettis, but those two failures can’t erase all of his previous successes. Don’t forget that he had 13 wins in 14 appearances, defeating the likes as Johny Hendricks, Robert Whittaker, Jake Ellenberger, etc.

Prediction

Durinho was one of the toughest guys in the division before the match against Usman. Now, that is how the fans see this guy. But in our opinion, he is still one of the most prepared and gifted guys in the welterweight class, and may we add that the bookmakers have underestimated him heavily in this contest.

This will be Burns’ first fight since the title match, which might be problematic, but on the other side, it could fuel the Brazilian with a huge motive.

When comparing these two guys inside the octagon, Thompson might be better at striking due to accuracy and speed, but he isn’t anywhere near Burns on the mat. Also, the Brazilian is stronger, which additionally forces us to bet on his victory.

Pick: Burns wins +140