UFC 256 is coming Saturday, the grand finale of a sport that’s held its own amid the pandemic. This organization was the first to return to live sports in May, and has collected momentum with a string of high-quality cards.

Deiveson Figueiredo headlines the December 12 finale of the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a flyweight defense over top challenger Brandon Moreno.

There are several more bouts, including the co-feature of Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira.

Some betting angles:

1. The main event is prohibitive for backers of Figueiredo. Who wants to lay odds of more than 3-1? Some high-leverage bettors do, often for six figures, but regular gamblers may want to consider props here. Picking the method of victory, however—a KO/TKO, points or submission—will pay well.
2. Figueiredo is balanced. He’s won 47% of his fights by knockout and 37% by submission. Moreno prevails 59% of the time by submission. Payouts will be good if bettors either pick the winning fighter with the correct victory method, or simply select the winning method of the fight. By taking either fighter to win by submission, for example, you expand your chances to collect, albeit a smaller amount, often in the neighborhood of 2-1 or 3-1.

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3. Some fights are good for the moneyline wager. Kevin Holland is in the area of -126 across the major sportsbooks, while his opponent, Ronald Souza, is roughly +100. That means simply picking the winner of the fight on the moneyline is a bet that returns approximately even money.
4. Study the whole card (even the fights you don’t bet). Since the restart in May, the favorites in the range of -300 have been winning handily, as expected. Most of the women’s bouts have been going the distance, with that reality baked into the line. Watch the patterns long enough (there have been fights almost every weekend since May), and you’ll get a sense of what’s possible in a fight and whether the payout is worthwhile. Some big money, approximately 35-1, has been paid out for picking the winning fighter with the right method and exact round. It’s worth a small stab in your bankroll.
5. Watch for promos. com and other sportsbooks occasionally deliver some beauties in the form of odds boosts that may reduce a heavily-favored fighter to only a slight favorite to entice action (there may be betting limits). These crop up close to the fight, watch for them.

And good luck.

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How to Watch

UFC 256 will take place Saturday, December 12 at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. The Main Card will begin at 10 p.m. ET at ESPN+, or download the UFC Mobile App for past and live fights.