It’s International Fight Week, which means the UFC is bringing out all the stops to make UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez a pay-per-view for the ages. This week’s card is utterly stacked with a pair of championship fights and loads of other fantastic matches that we chose to highlight a potential sleeper pick to win his bout from the preliminary card and not just the main card itself.

Nitrobetting is here to train bettors in the realm of combat sports with in-depth coverage of the latest UFC events. This time, let’s take a closer look at the three best sleeper candidates to win their respective bouts in UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez and their corresponding MMA odds to win the latest premium live MMA event set to take place in good ol’ T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

Top UFC 290 Sleeper Picks

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READ MORE: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez UFC 290 Odds and Preview

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Moreno

• UFC 290 Odds: Alexandre Pantoja (+160) // Brandon Moreno (-213)

After seeing four blockbuster fights between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo, the flyweight division needs a breath of fresh air. That’s where the No. 2 contender for the flyweight crown, Alexandre Pantoja, comes in. The 22-year-old Brazilian is 6-3 in the UFC and has won each of his last three fights with a couple of Performance of the Night bonuses in those three outings.

There’s no doubt that Moreno is the more decorated fighter, with his more high-profile matches and wins. However, Moreno hasn’t faced another fighter other than Kai-Kara France and Figueiredo since late 2020 and could be in for a surprise this Saturday. Pantoja also has a win in the Octagon over the reigning flyweight champ from their UFC Fight Night bout in 2018, which should give the latter more confidence heading into the biggest fight of his life.

UFC 290 Betting Pick: Alexandre Pantoja

Dricus du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker

• UFC 290 Odds: Dricus du Plessis (+285) // Robert Whittaker (-417)

In this upcoming battle for the next contender for the middleweight crown, many UFC fans are high on Robert Whittaker vaulting himself back to the top of the ladder hot off a huge win against Marvin Vettori last September in France. “The Reaper” out of Auckland is 13-2 in his last 15 fights, with those two losses being failed title shots against defending middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

Yes, Whittaker has been exceptional outside his fights against Adesanya. But now comes a fast up-and-comer in fifth-ranked middleweight Dricus du Plessis. The South African striker has won all five of his career fights in the Octagon thus far and has not lost an MMA bout since he was still in KSW back in 2018. Although du Plessis is seen as the clear underdog in this matchup, his stellar momentum is enough of a reason for him to have a decent amount of backers as a sleeper pick to win his fight on Saturday.

UFC 290 Betting Pick: Dricus du Plessis

Robbie Lawler vs. Nico Price

• UFC 290 Odds: Robbie Lawler (+190) // Nico Price (-263)

It’s been quite a downfall for former UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, who’s gone 2-5 in his last seven fights since dropping the title in mid-2016. This sharp decline has relegated the 41-year-old to the preliminary card of UFC 290, albeit as the headliner of the prelims right before the main event starts.

Lawler is currently pegged as the underdog in his bout against Nico Price, who hasn’t been setting the stage on fire himself of late. Price lost three of his last five fights, including one no-contest decision to further impede the Cape Coral native’s development. In turn, Lawler’s wealth of in-ring experience should prevail over Price’s inconsistency as we might just witness the return of the real “Ruthless” side of Lawler even for just one final moment.

UFC 290 Betting Pick: Robbie Lawler

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