Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov: betting odds and predictions for UFC 302

The UFC heads back to The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ from a jam-packed UFC 302 PPV event.

Headlining this fight card is none other than the undisputed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev who's looking to defend his title for a record-tieing 3 times when he takes on fan favorite and former interim lightweight champion Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier.

For this article, we are taking a look at a welterweight matchup that should bring a ton of fireworks between Cesar Almeida and Roman Kopylov. We take a look at this fight and give out our prediction and pick for this Almedia-Kopylov matchup.

(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Cesar Almeida (5-0) is an undefeated middleweight prospect fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil but trains in Las Vegas, Nevada at Xtreme Couture with the likes of the former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Almeida's claim to fame coming into his time with the UFC is that he was a championship kickboxer before he turned to MMA.

He secured his contract after a dominant performance against Lucas Fernando on the Contender Series. Then less than a year later he made his UFC debut and brutally finished fellow Contender Series alumni Dylan Budka in round two.

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The UFC has such high praise for Almeida that they are giving him a big step up in competition when he takes on Roman Kopylov this weekend at UFC 302.

While this is definitely a step up in competition for Almeida it is the right matchup as many would expect Kopylov to give Almeida the striking match that he wants. Kopylov will certainly be the faster of the two at distance and will also have the height and reach advantages.

However, that is something that Almeida is used to dealing with during his time in kickboxing where he fought against Alex Pereira and even beat in 1 of his 3 matchups against him.

Almeida is going to need to break down Kopylov with his calf kicks and pressure methodically. If he can continue to move forward landing his strikes he can eventually land the kill shot putting Kopylov away and extending his unbeaten streak to six in a row.

Roman Kopylov (12-3)  did not get off on the right foot in his UFC career as he dropped each of his first two fights but then he quickly turned things around winning four straight fights with all four wins coming by knockout. That all came to a screeching halt once he met up with Anthony Hernandez who beat Kopylov in every facet of the fight eventually sinking in the rear-naked choke in round 2.

Now, Kopylov gets to take on fellow striker Cesar Almeida in hopes he can get back on track this weekend at UFC 302. In this matchup, Kopylov will have the speed advantage and he will need to utilize to its fullest extent. Almeida is a slow-plotting kickboxer who likes to press forward and look to land thunderous strikes.

For Kopylov, he's going to need to be on his bike this fight and use his front kicks, his jab, and mix in the targets if he wants to be successful in this matchup.

Also, Kopylov has a Combat Sambo background and it would be smart if he utilized that in this fight for once as that is the biggest weakness of Almeida's game. It's up to Kopylov to mix the martial arts all together and if he's able to do that he should get back on track in the middleweight division.

UFC VEGAS 302: CESAR ALMEIDA VS. ROMAN KOPYLOV FANDUEL ODDS FOR JUNE 1ST

MONEY LINE

• CESAR ALMEIDA: -110
• ROMAN KOPYLOV: -106

PROPS

• CESAR ALMEIDA BY POINTS: +290
• CESAR ALMEIDA BY SUBMISSION: +2100
• CESAR ALMEIDA BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +260
• ROMAN KOPYLOV BY POINTS: +380
• ROMAN KOPYLOV BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +210
• ROMAN KOPYLOV BY SUBMISSION: +2500

OVER/UNDER (ROUNDS TOTAL)

• OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+102)
• UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-128)

BEST UFC VEGAS 302 ODDS FOR CESAR ALMEIDA VS. ROMAN KOPYLOV

• Roman Kopylov is the underdog. BetMGM Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (+100)

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• Cesar Almeida is the favorite against Roman Kopylov. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (-110)
• FanDuel currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 2.5 Rounds (+102) for the over, and (-128) for the under

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FINAL ALMEIDA-KOPYLOV PICK & PREDICTION

This is a fantastic main event fight for this UFC 302 event. Almeida will be looking to keep his unbeaten streak alive meanwhile, Kopylov will be looking to get back into the thick of things in the middleweight division.

Ultimately, it's going to be Almeida's pressure that's going to be the difference maker in this fight as Kopylov would look to stay on the outside but as Almeida comes forward he will crowd the space of Kopylov land devastating shots possibly putting Kopylov away, or just doing enough to win on the judge's scorecards.

FINAL ALMEIDA-KOPYLOV PICK & PREDICTION: CESAR ALMEIDA (-110)

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