UFC 290 best bets: Back Price to spoil Lawler's swan song

Saturday's UFC 290 features a featherweight title unification bout between champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim champ Yair Rodriguez.

Also on the card, flyweight titleholder Brandon Moreno defends his belt against Alexandre Pantoja.

Volkanovski is heavily favored to retain the 145-pound throne in the main event, sitting at -400 on theScore Bet. At those odds, it's best to either avoid this fight or take a flyer on Rodriguez by finish if you feel confident he can connect on Volkanovski and pull off the upset.

Before the action gets underway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, here are the two best bets for the event.

Whittaker-Du Plessis over 2.5 rounds (+135)

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is composed and tactical when he competes in the Octagon, and he does a great job of shutting down his opponents. That's what's going to happen when he takes on the wild up-and-comer in Dricus Du Plessis.

Whittaker's last six victories have been decisions; his most recent finish was in 2017 against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. And since that fight, he's only had one matchup end inside the distance: his title loss to current champ Israel Adesanya in 2019. So, historically, although Whittaker dominates his opponents, he's not a huge finisher.

On the flip side, Du Plessis is the definition of a finisher. He's undefeated in the UFC at 5-0, and three of those fights were knockouts and one a submission. Du Plessis isn't the most technical fighter and has a suspect gas tank, but he continues to find a way to win. His unorthodox style is certainly something that could catch Whittaker off guard if the former champ isn't careful.

However, Whittaker is too big of a step up in competition to assume Du Plessis will keep his undefeated Octagon record intact, never mind score another finish. Long considered the second-best middleweight in the world, Whittaker is durable and intelligent. He picks his opponents apart over the course of three or five rounds with his pin-point striking, and he's ultimately going to show Du Plessis that there are levels to this game. Expect Whittaker to play it safe against a dangerous fighter and win a lopsided decision, so the over 2.5 rounds prop is a good bet.

Niko Price to win by T/KO or decision (-185)

Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler makes his final walk to the Octagon on Saturday night, but, like a few legends who bid farewell in recent memory like Frankie Edgar and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, it's not going to go his way.

Niko Price has full intention of playing spoiler in the UFC 290 featured preliminary bout, and as a -235 betting favorite, it seems very likely he'll do so.

Though he's experienced mixed results lately, "The Hybrid" has the tools to beat this version of Lawler, a past-his-prime 41-year-old set on retirement. Price is a dangerous striker who can take a punch. If he mixes it up with Lawler on the feet - and the expectation is that Lawler-Price could indeed turn into somewhat of a back-and-forth slugfest - he should be able to either land the more impactful shots for a decision victory or land flush and knock Lawler out.

Half a decade ago, Lawler would have run through Price. He was the best welterweight in the world, holding the title from 2014-16. But these days, Price has what it takes to get it done.

Here are the full odds for UFC 290 on July 9:

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski (-400) vs. Yair Rodriguez (+300)
• Brandon Moreno (-220) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (+180)
• Robert Whittaker (-400) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (+300)
• Jalin Turner (-310) vs. Dan Hooker (+250)
• Bo Nickal (-2500) vs. Val Woodburn (+1100)

Preliminary card

• Niko Price (-235) vs. Robbie Lawler (+190)
• Yazmin Jauregui (-400) vs. Denise Gomes (+300)
• Jimmy Crute (-140) vs. Alonzo Menifield (+120)

Early preliminary card

• Tatsuro Taira (-1100) vs. Edgar Chairez (+650)
• Vitor Petrino (-235) vs. Marcin Prachnio (+190)
• Cameron Saaiman (-600) vs. Terrence Mitchell (+425)
• Jesus Aguilar (-150) vs. Shannon Ross (+125)
• Esteban Ribovics (-150) vs. Kamuela Kirk (+125)