Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett Betting Odds

Fans of the heavyweight division rejoice because on March 2, 2024, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host its first heavyweight main event of 2024 when Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev top the bill. 

The event, labeled UFC Vegas 87, was originally scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia, but the promotion’s debut in Al-Akhdar has been postponed until the summer of 2024. 

This, however, doesn’t affect the slew of up-and-coming talents booked to fight, including the likes of Muhammad Mokaev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Vitor Petrino, and many more. 

UFC Vegas 87 Main Card 

• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev [Heavyweight Main Event Bout] 
• Victor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro [Light Heavyweight C0-Main Event Bout] 
• Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett [Middleweight Bout] 
• Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev [Flyweight Bout] 
• Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg [Flyweight Bout] 
• Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan [Bantamweight Bout] 

With a main card brimming with top-ranked mixed martial artists, deciding which contest is an early contender for Fight of the Night is no simple task. With that said, one bout flying under the radar is Eryk Anders and Jamie Pickett. 

UFC Vegas 87 Middleweight Main Card Bout 

Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett

Eryk Anders is an experienced fighter whose now 16 fights deep into his UFC tenure. He began his professional career in 2015 and achieved an 8-0 record within two years, thus earning a spot in the UFC. Facing Lyota Machida as a headliner in just his third UFC bout demonstrated the significant value the former football star brought to the organization.

That value remains relevant today. At 36, Anders has been prominently featured on the main card of his previous three UFC bouts. Despite a disappointing 1-3 record in his past four bouts, Anders is prepared to return to the cage and demonstrate his worth once more versus a fellow savvy vet in Jamie Pickett. 

Pickett, 35, represents Port City Sports Performance out of Wilmington, North Carolina. Following back-to-back (1 loss, 1 win) on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, he was drafted to the main roster and has since been a constant by averaging 2-3 fights per year. 

Fighting out of The Tar Heel State, it’s been a rough journey battling through the UFC’s elite for Pickett to date. Still, while a UFC record of 2-6 isn’t the prettiest, the competition level hasn’t been easy, as the combined record of his past five opponents sits at 40-13-0. 

UFC Vegas 87 Odds: Anders vs. Pickett 

It’s been a challenging couple of years for Pickett, with a streak of four consecutive defeats marring his record—including a knockout/technical knockout, two losses by submission, and one by decision. This sequence of outcomes has significantly influenced his standing in the early betting odds for UFC Vegas 87, especially on platforms accessible in North Carolina. Betting apps within the state now peg him as a substantial underdog, reflecting the uphill battle he faces in his upcoming bout.

• Eryk Anders -330
• Jamie Pickett +270 

First Look Analysis: Anders vs. Pickett 

One potential argument heading into this main card bout is that Father Time is creeping up on both men. But at a glance, despite being one year younger, Pickett seems to have slowed down slightly quicker than his UFC Vegas 87 opponent. 

The good news for North Carolina MMA fans is that Pickett will own a height advantage and five extra inches of reach. Regarding power, we have to side with Anders, but should this contest play out on the feet, a kickboxing battle at range would significantly favor the underdog, who would be wise to utilize the reach discrepancy and probe his jab and leg kicks straight down the middle.

Unfortunately, Pickett is looking down the barrel of potentially being released by the UFC, especially if he loses a fifth consecutive fight next month. This could be viewed as a driving factor, or oppositely, he may already have one foot out the door. 

Anders will own the wrestling upside in the contest, and with more power in his hands, neutralizing a scrap at range with heavy blows on the inside, combined with cage pushing and control time, makes it easy to see why sportsbooks have placed him as the betting favorite.   

UFC Vegas 87 Main Event: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev 

Rozenstruik, who lost by submission to Jailton Almeida in the main event at UFC Charlotte in May, will make his thirteenth appearance in the octagon. “Big Boi” has lost three of his last four fights, including a December 2022 victory over Chris Daukaus by knockout in the second round at UFC 282.

Gaziev earns his first main event spot in his second fight with the UFC. With a second-round standing technical knockout victory against Martin Buday in his octagon debut at December’s UFC 296 event, the 33-year-old has completed all twelve of his professional fights without seeing a third round.