Ben Askren vs Robbie Lawler takes place at UFC 235 (in Las Vegas), on 2nd Mar 2019 This event is 1 days, 13 hours and 54 minutes away. You can see any predictions our MMA handicappers have on Ben Askren vs Robbie Lawler below. Askren vs Lawler Odds Funky is a former Olympic wrestler with a grappling style all his own, but Lawler could be a great foil for that. Much is made of Lawler’s unparalleled resolve and his striking game, but he’s a tremendous grappler in his own right.

• Askren Vs Lawler Odds Super Bowl 2020
• Askren Vs Lawler Odds Basketball

Record: 12-11-0 for +2.62 units

UFC Fight Night 235
Free UFC Pick: Zabit & Askren
Best Line Offered: Pinnacle
Bet $100 to win $84.44

Parlays are a great way to find value in MMA. Lines will get out of hand in MMA and favorites will get bet past the point where they will hold value. Usually you would flip and bet the dog in that case, but there are circumstances where even though the favorite it too big they are still going to win. I think we have two cases exactly like that at UFC 235.

Zabit Magomedsharipov is 16-1 and is a phenomenal striker. He is extremely tall and long for the 145 pound division and he is a master of controlling distance and space. He is fighting long time UFC contender Jeremy Stephens who is looking to rebound off of his crushing loss to Jose Aldo in July of 2018. Stephens has the power to crush anybody in the division if he can connect, so he has a puncher’s chance, but it’s hard to land with power when facing a longer opponent who will spend the majority of the fight outside your range.

This is a step up fight for Zabit, but I think it is one he is well equipped to handle. He has a stylistic match up that plays very well in his favor simply due to the physical style of fighter Stephens is. Stephens is explosive and lands flying knees and over hand punches, but a fighter like Zabit will be outside of his range the majority of the fight and I can see him coasting to an easy three round decision.

The second leg of our parlay is Ben Askren who is making his long awaited UFC debut against former champion and legend Robbie Lawler. Askren was potentially the best MMA fighter outside the UFC. He is 18-0 and a dominant wrestler with a top game nobody could handle. He has 6 TKOs, 5 submissions, and 7 decision vicitories making him very diverse in the way he can win a fight and that makes him perfect for our parlay. Rather than taking him on a prop we protect ourselves by picking him to win straight paired with Zabit.

Robbie Lawler has faced some of the best names MMA has to offer and while he is only 36 he has a much longer fighting age. He has a 28-12 record and has been fighting since he was 18. He recently lost to current champion Tyron Woodley by brutal KO in 2016. Lawler hasn’t looked the same since that fight. He did get a win over Donald Cerrone in 2017 but he lost to former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos via decision in December of 2017.

Robbie has taken the last year + off to have multiple surgeries done and recover. Surgery is never a great thing, but in a top level MMA fighter you are expected to recover and do it quickly. We may not be getting a prime 100% Robbie Lawler here and with a compromised body I do not see how he is going to defend the kind of takedowns Askren will attempt. I expect Askren to grind Robbie for 3 rounds and win a one-sided decision to close out our parlay

Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren

Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 11:00 PM (T-Mobile Arena)

The Line: Lawler +246 / Askren -274 -- Over/Under:Click to Get Latest Betting Odds

TV: PPV Stream unmatched UFC coverage on ESPN+. Sign up now!

Askren Vs Lawler Odds Super Bowl 2020

Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren fight Saturday in UFC 235 at the T-Mobile Arena.

Askren Vs Lawler Odds Basketball

Robbie Lawler enters this fight with a 28-12 record and has won 71 percent of his fights by knockout. Lawler has won six of his last eight fights and is coming off a December (2017) loss to Rafael dos Anjos. Lawler is averaging 3.88 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 46 percent. Lawler is averaging 0.95 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 76 percent. Lawler hasn’t lost back-to-back fights since 2011, but he enters this bout with a ton of question marks. Lawler hasn’t fought in 15 months due to a torn ACL, and he’s soon going to be 37 years old. On top of potential rust, that’s not the easiest injury to come back from, especially at his age, so there’s no telling what fighter you’re going to get in his return. When Lawler is at his best, he’s an aggressive striker with legit knockout potential and is just as effective in the clinch as he is standing up. Five of Lawler’s last seven wins have come by decision, but his striking game can’t be slept on at all. Lawler is also quite the takedown artist when he looks to take the fight to the canvas, but he’s been submitted five times, so the ground game can be a slippery slope. This will be Lawler’s 11th career fight in Las Vegas.

Ben Askren enters this fight with a 18-0 record and has won 39 percent of his fights by decision. Askren has won his last four fights and is coming off a November (2017) win over Shinya Aoki. Askren will make his UFC debut after Demetrious Johnson moved to ONE Championship, an exchange that took place back in November. Askren is one of the most accomplished wrestlers and top control grapplers in the sport, and that includes gold medals in freestyle wrestling and participating in the 2008 Olympics. Askren is quite physical with his takedown attempts, as he simply picks dudes up and throws them around, and he wears on his opponent once gaining top position. The concern is that Askren is very limited in his standup and his striking game altogether. Askren makes Khabib Nurmagomedov look like a world class striker, so there’s certainly reason to lower expectations for his debut just a tad. At some point the slow hands and lack of punching power will catch up to Askren, especially if he sticks with the UFC longterm. This will be Askren’s first career fight in Las Vegas.

I can’t tell you how long I considered backing Lawler and the plus money in this fight. His aggressive standup striking gives him a real chance of winning this fight, and he has an above-average takedown defense, so there’s a chance he gets to fight his style longer than most anticipate. I’m scared to death for Askren if this fight doesn’t go to the canvas quickly. With that said, the accomplishments for Askren speak for themselves, and he usually always gets the fight where he wants it. Once he produces a takedown, Askren goes to work and closes the deal. There’s also the fact Lawler is coming off a torn ACL, and while he’s saying he feels great and is back to being his normal self, nobody knows for sure until he steps into that octagon. I’m always hesitant in backing fighters either on long layoffs or serious injuries.

I don’t love this price with Askren, but he should win his UFC debut and has less question marks than Ruthless.