Check out my Gautier vs Valentin prediction for UFC 318 on Saturday, July 19.
Gautier won his UFC debut back in March after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year in September. Valentin, meanwhile, has lost his first two UFC fights.
Here’s my Gautier vs Valentin pick for tonight.
Ateba Abega Gautier vs Robert Valentin Odds
| Vettori Odds | -550 |
| Allen Odds | +410 |
| Over/Under | 1.5 Rounds (+114 / -145) |
| Location | Smoothie King Center | New Orleans |
| Bout Time | 8:15 p.m. ET |
| TV/Streaming | ESPN+ |
| UFC 318 odds via DraftKings as of Friday night. Bet the UFC with our DraftKings promo code | |
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Gautier vs Valentin Pick
Ateba Gautier is a potentially elite prospect in the middleweight division, with incredible athleticism but a raw skillset at 23 years old; and similar to Dulatov, there’s a lot that we don’t know about Gautier’s skillset – cardio, resilience, durability, and especially defensive grappling or wrestling abilities. However, physically, he looks like the computer-generated champion you’d have to fight in a video game.
Robert Valentin has spent his first two UFC bouts getting outwrestled by Ryan Loder and Torrez Finney (combined 9 of 20 takedowns, and 18:01 control in 21:49 fight time) but will finally get a chance to show off his striking; and he could have a grappling advantage of his own against Gautier; which he could pursue given the size discrepancy (2″ shorter, 4″ reach disadvantage).
If you’re going to bet Valentin (projected +318), I would wait for the peak underdog price on fight day, as more parlay and prop money comes in on Gautier. Alternatively – or in addition – sprinkle his odds to win inside the distance (projected +450, listed +550) in a fight lined at -600 to end inside the distance.
Gautier vs Valentin Predictions
- TBD (wait for peak price on Valentin on fight day)
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