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UFC on ESPN: Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz Odds and Prediction

By Iain MacMillan

Dominick Cruz will face Marlon Vera in the UFC on ESPN 41 main event.
Dominick Cruz will face Marlon Vera in the UFC on ESPN 41 main event. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
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The UFC marches on, but this time they'll leave their home of Las Vegas, and head to San Diego, California for UFC on ESPN 41.

The main event will feature a bantamweight bout between former champion, Dominick Cruz, and Marlon Vera.

The co-main event will be a featherweight fight between Nate Landwehr and David Onama.

In terms of name recognition, this card is certainly on the weaker side. But sometimes, that presents us some fantastic betting opportunities.

Here are the odds for the entire card, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

UFC on ESPN 41 Main Card Odds

  • Marlon Vera (-225) vs. Dominick Cruz (+190)
  • Nate Landwehr (+230) vs. David Onama (-275)
  • Devin Clark (+135) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (-155)
  • Cynthia Calvillo (-170) vs. Nina Nunes (+145)
  • Gerald Meerschaert (+240) vs. Bruno Silva (-285)
  • Yazmin Jauregui (-210) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (+180)

UFC on ESPN 41 Prelim Odds

  • Angela Hill (+260) vs. Lupita Godinez (-315)
  • Ariane Lipski (-190) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+160)
  • Martin Buday (-255) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (+215)
  • Gabriel Benitez (-350) vs. Charlie Ontiveros (+290)
  • Youssef Zalal (-125) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (+105)
  • Ose Osbourne (-240) vs. Tyson Nam (+200)

Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz Prediction

Both fighters will enter on a win streak. Marlon Vera has strung three together, with his latest coming in a five round decision against Rob Font. Dominick Cruz is coming in on a two-fight win streak, having beat Pedro Munhoz in his latest bout.

One of the most underrated aspects of Cruz's game is his wrestling. He averages 2.88 takedowns per 15 minutes of fighting, and that ability is something he can use to exploit Vera, who has a takedown defense of just 68%.

Cruz is also a fantastic defensive fighter, with a defense rate of 71%. That could cause Vera even more issues, considering he lands at just a 51% clip.

People dismiss Cruz because he doesn't have the highlight reel finishes that some other fighters have, but his footwork, wrestling, and defense will be something that Vera hasn't seen before.

I'll take a shot at Cruz as an underdog.

Pick: Dominick Cruz +190

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

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