Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316
The post Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
We're back for another betting prediction and pick for UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2 as we head to the Heavyweight Division for this next bout. Ranked contenders will get their shot at each other as No. 7 Serghei Spivac of Moldova will take on No. 11 Waldo Cortes-Acosta of the Dominican Republic. Check the UFC odds series for our Spivac-Cortes-Acosta prediction and pick.
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Serghei Spivac (17-5) has gone 8-5 since joining the UFC in 2019. Following a three-fight winning streak that saw him notch three finishes, he's gone 1-2 over his three most recent bouts. After two cancellations against would-be opponent Shamil Gaziev, he'll look to put away another contender waiting in the wings. Spivac stands 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (13-1) has gone 6-1 inside the UFC since 2022. After dropping the only bout of his UFC tenure, he's notched four consecutive victories ahead of this one, with his latest win coming against Ryan Spann in impressive fashion. He'll hope to jump the rankings as he searches for five straight. Cortes-Acosta stands 6-foot-4 with a 70-inch reach.
Here are the UFC 316 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 316 Odds: Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Odds
Serghei Spivac: -142
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Waldo Cortes-Acosta: +120
Over 2.5 rounds: +120
Under 2.5 rounds: -154
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Why Serghei Spivac Will Win
Last Fight: (L) Jailton Almeida – TKO (punches, R1)
Last 5: 3-2
Finishes: 7 KO/TKO, 8 SUB
Serghei Spivac comes into this bout following a loss to a motivated Jailton Almeida, and it certainly wasn't his best showing, but the gap in athleticism and grappling could be to blame for the defeat. During this bout, he'll be much more in control when it comes to the grappling, as his opponent has shown signs of weakness when being taken down. From top position, Spivac can make himself very heavy and is likely to steal some rounds if he's able to land his takedowns effectively.
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Spivac will also be working with a significant eight-inch reach advantage, and although his opponent is a much stronger boxer, Spivac has shown improvements with his stand-up game over the last few fights. Still, he hasn't been nearly as aggressive in engaging opponents over the last few bouts, so it's certainly something he'll have to improve ahead of this fight.
To be successful here, look for Spivac to engage and go to the clinch much more often, where he's most powerful. He has a knack for throwing opponents off their balance, and it ties into his ground game very well. From there, he has a chance to dominate with his strength while negating the pressure boxing style from Cortes-Acosta.
Why Waldo Cortes-Acosta Will Win
Last Fight: (W) Ryan Spann – KO (left hook, R2)
Last 5: 4-1
Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 1 SUB
Waldo Cortes-Acosta comes into this bout following four-straight wins for the longest streak of his UFC tenure. He's often praised for his fluid boxing as a heavyweight and he certainly has the combinations to show for it. He does a great job of maintaining a safe distance while rifling combinations off, but he'll have to work at a reach disadvantage where he should be more focused on countering and being defensive than trying to knock Spivac out right away.
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Two of his last four wins have come by way of unanimous decision, so Waldo Cortes-Acosta is slowly proving he's capable of winning the bout in a multitude of ways. His takedown defense is a solid 66% up to this point, but he'll certainly want to avoid mixing things up on the ground against someone like Spivac.
In order to win this bout, Cortes-Acosta will have to remain diligent in staying on his feet while breaking away from the clinch of his opponent. If he's able to do so, it opens the door for another dominant striking performance as he'll certainly have the more fluid boxing throughout this fight.
Final Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick
This should be another entertaining clash between talented heavyweights as they boast differing styles heading into this fight. Waldo Cortes-Acosta has made a name for himself as one of the more fluid boxers in the division, while Spivac will be looking to maul his opponent on the ground and create a significant discrepancy in the grappling department.
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Still, Waldo Cortes-Acosta has shown great ability to force wrestlers to stand and strike with him due to his sheer size, so I don't expect Spivac to have his way throughout much of this fight. Either way, we should see most of this fight take place on the feet, where Cortes-Acosta will sport a significant advantage.
For our final prediction, we'll roll with Waldo Cortes-Acosta to get the win as he picks-and-pops his way to a close decision.
Final Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (+120)
Related: Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316
Related: Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316
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New York Times
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UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley odds, picks and predictions In a 5-round bantamweight championship bout in the main event, Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley meet Saturday at UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main event is expected to start approximately at 12:30 a.m. ET. Early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+ / Disney+), followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN / ESPN+ / Disney+) and the main card at 10 p.m. ET (Pay-Per-View). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's UFC odds around the UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley odds, and make our expert UFC picks and predictions. Records: Dvalishvili (19-4-0) | O'Malley (18-2-0) Dvalishvili lifted the bantamweight strap off of O'Malley at UFC 306 in a unanimous-decision victory Sept. 14, 2024. He successfully defended the championship at UFC 311 in January against Umar Nurmagomedov, also by way of unanimous decision. In fact, the Georgian fighter has 5 consecutive victories by way of unanimous-decision. Starting with a unanimous-decision victory over Terrion Ware in September 2018, Dvalishvili has won 11 times by way of UD, with just 1 fight inside the distance by way of KO/TKO in round 2 against Marlon Moraes in September 2021. In fact, in his MMA career, Dvalishvili has 23 fights under his belt, with a 3-0 record via KO/TKO, and 1-1 by way of submission. That means he is 15-3 in 18 fights going the distance. O'Malley hasn't fought since his loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 as he suffered a torn labrum in his hip which required corrective surgery. Now that he is healthy, "Suga Show" is back on as he runs it back against Dvalishvili. Prior to the Dvalishvili loss, he took the belt off of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 by way of KO/TKO in August 2023. Seven months later, he successfully defended the belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, winning by unanimous decision March 9, 2024. O'Malley has gone the distance in 3 of his past 4 fights. O'Malley is 4 years younger than his counterpart, and he has a 5-inch height advantage and 4-inch reach advantage. The switch-stance fighter holds a 6.70-to-4.36 significant-strikes-landed-per-minute advantage. Suga also holds a 61.86% significant-strikes-accuracy percentage to 58.94% for the current champ. Dvalishvili has a 5.89 takedown average, while O'Malley checks in at just 0.29 in the category. The submission average difference is rather negligible, however, as O'Malley holds a slight 0.29-to-0.26 advantage. UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:43 a.m. ET. Fight result (2-way line) : Dvalishvili -285 (bet $285 to win $100) | O'Malley +225 (bet $100 to win $225) : Dvalishvili -285 (bet $285 to win $100) | O'Malley +225 (bet $100 to win $225) Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -250 | No +175) UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley picks and predictions O'MALLEY (+225) is a strong play for the opportunity to multiply up 2.25 times your initial bet. The former champ is healthy and a tremendous value at this price. The key to this fight will be if O'Malley can keep the fight upright, and avoid Dvalishvili from wowing the judges with his takedown ability. Both of these fighters have been routinely going the distance lately. If O'Malley was to get a finish, it would be via KO/TKO. If Dvalishvili was to get a finish, it would be by way of submission. He is No. 1 in control time (1:16:27) among the bantamweights. However, O'Malley leads the division in significant-strikes accuracy, and he has a 3.31 striking differential, which also leads the division. Whomever wows the judges most will get the victory. It's really a coin-flip fight despite whatever the sportsbooks say, so back the better value. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! Yes (-250): Fight to go the distance is just a little too on the expensive side, costing 2½ times to win 1 unit. If you were to toss it into a multi-leg parlay, it would be OK, but the parlay likely needs to be at least 3 or 4 legs to make sense. O'MALLEY ON POINTS (+600) is worth a roll of the dice for the chance to multiply up by 6 times. He has won twice via decision in his past 4 fights, including the KO/TKO of Sterling at UFC 292. In the loss to Dvalishvili by way of decision, O'Malley suffered an injury. He is a good bet to bounce back, and for the chance to multiply up 6 times, it's hard to pass on this huge value. Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
