UFC 249: Betting Preview and Odds - May 9

The UFC is back and returns with one of the greatest cards the famous MMA institution has ever put on. Indeed, the world will have to wait even longer for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson, after the fight fell through for an almighty fifth time. However, UFC 249 has turned into something special with this stacked night of action.

Whilst no fans will be in attendance over at the Jacksonville Arena in Florida, countless UFC superstars will be. For the main event, Ferguson will now meet one of the great knockout artists, Justin Gaethje, whilst Dominick Cruz steps in the octagon for the first time in four years to battle Henry Cejudo for the bantamweight title.

Here, we take a look at the Paddy Power odds for all the fights going down in the earlier hours of Sunday morning (UK time) and all the Oddschanger tips for the night.

QUIZ: Can you name the 20 new UFC champions since 2016? Have a go right here!

The main event is one of the toughest fights to call in recent years, with both fighters bringing so much versatility to the table. Whilst Gaethje has knocked out all three recent opponents in the first round, 'The Highlight' is also a national champion in wrestling.

At the same time, Ferguson is on an unrivalled 12-fight win streak, with 50% of these coming from submission wins and the other 50% through a mix of TKO/KO wins and decision victories.

Considering 'El Cucuy's' domination over the lightweight division since 2013, he is the favourite to take the interim title on May 9, with odds of 4/7.

As for Gaethje, the American is an underdog at 11/8, although he remains a constant threat with his astonishing knockout power.

To read all the Ferguson v Gaethje odds for knockouts, submissions and decision wins, head over to the official betting preview for the main event right here!

Similarly to the main event, the co-main is incredibly tough to predict. Henry Cejudo has managed to take over two divisions in recent times, beating legendary men like Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw to claim flyweight and bantamweight gold, respectively.

As a result, there can be no denying that 'The Messenger' has put himself in contention for the GOAT claim down in the lower divisions. And, with a win over arguably the best bantamweight of all-time in Dominick Cruz, there will be little debating that argument.

Cruz has, however, had four years out the octagon, with his last bout coming in the loss of his title to Cody Garbrandt. 'No Love' that night completely outclassed Cruz and injuries have forced a four-year wait to redeem such a poor performance for the 35-year-old.

Simply put, we don't know what Cruz will turn up. Although if it is 'The Dominator' of old, things get even tougher to predict. When all is considered, Cruz is the rightfully so the underdog for this one, with a 13/8 price. On the other hand, Cejudo's odds are at 1/2 to win outright.

To read all the Cejudo v Cruz odds for knockouts, submissions and decision wins, head over to the official betting preview for the main event right here!

Moving onto the heavyweight division as Francis Ngannou takes on Jairzinho Rozenstruik for what is a seriously competitive bout for the heavyweight rankings.

Ngannou has moved up to third in the rankings ever since losing back-to-back fights against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, because of three consecutive knockout wins in round one. The Cameroonian has won two Performance of the Night within that run since those dreaded days, by beating Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos.

Also in this time is a sensational win over former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in just 26 seconds, forcing us all to take note of his monstrous power once again - Ngannou is 4/11 on the night against Rozenstruik.

As for Rozenstruik, the Surinamese can't be overlooked for a second, despite his opponent's ferocious ability. 'Bigi Boy' has won all 10 of his fights in MMA, with only one of them coming in a decision win against Andrey Kovalev.

Rozenstruik holds TKO/KO wins over the likes of Alastair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski and a win over Ngannou will be his biggest career victory to date.

It's fair to say there will be a knockout in one of these and the odds 8/11 for an Ngannou TKO/TKO is certainly worth putting in an accumulator for the night.

• Ngannou to win by TKO/KO - 8/11
• Ngannou to win by decision - 11/2
• Ngannou to win by submission - 11/1
• Rozenstruik to win by TKO/KO - 4/1
• Rozenstruik to win by decision - 13/2
• Rozenstruik to win by submission - 25/1

ICYMI: Take a look at the preview for this crucial bout between and how a win makes Ngannou the most threatening man to Stipe Miocic's title once again.

Before the crucial heavyweight clash sees an almost equally important bout down at featherweight between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Katter. After over 10 years in the UFC, Stephens has had a topsy-turvy time in the octagon, claiming 10 event awards, ranging from Fight of the Night, Performance of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses.

Within his long MMA career, 'Lil Heathen' has 28 wins and 17 loses, with an incredible 68% of these victories coming through a TKO/KO. However, after three losses in a row, Stephens is the underdog for this one with a price of 2/1.

Kattar, on the other hand, has gone slightly under the radar in the 145 lbs division. After two losses in his first 20 fights, 'The Boston Finisher' has forged quite the CV for himself, although, since moving to the UFC, four wins and two losses has keep him in or around the latter half of the top 10.

The 32-year-old is a slight favourite for this one at 4/11, although, it is once again a tough bout to call.

• Stephens by TKO/KO - 9/2
• Stephens by submission - 22/1
• Stephens by decision - 11/2
• Kattar by TKO/KO - 3/1
• Kattar by submission - 10/1
• Kattar by points - 5/4

The first bout on the main event card sees the battle between heavyweight contenders Greg Hardy and Yorgan De Castro. Once again, this is huge bout in the division and a hard one to predict, as the odds don't separate the fighters too much.

Hardy left behind his American Football career four years ago to pursue his MMA dream, despite no previous experience and after a relatively successful stint in the NFL. Since then, the American has had eight professional bouts, winning five of them all by knockout. Now, against De Castro, Hardy is the 4/9 to move further up the heavyweight rankings.

Indeed, a heavyweight title shot could be a few more fights away, but a win on May 9 and the former Dallas Cowboys' star could be closer to the gold than ever before.

As for De Castro, he has also been making a positive name for himself within the sport, ever since his pro debut in 2017. The Cape Verde-born has won all six of his previous battles, winning five of them by knockout and seeing the other fight go the distance to a unanimous win.

Most recently, De Castro KO'd Justin Tafa in stunning style and really put himself on the map of the UFC heavyweights - he is now 7/4 to beat Hardy. And, as with most heavyweight bouts, it's tough to see this one going the distance.

• Hardy to win by TKO/KO - 7/5
• Hardy to win by decision - 13/5
• Hardy to win by submission - 25/1
• De Castro to win by TKO/KO - 12/5
• De Castro to win by decision - 10/1
• De Castro to submission 25/1

ICYMI: Pettis vs Cerrone II: Cowboy’s Last Showdown?