Modestas Bukauskas Grows as Betting Favorite During Fight Week Against Paul Craig

A highly anticipated light heavyweight clash takes center stage this weekend as Modestas Bukauskas and Paul Craig prepare to meet at UFC Fight Night 258, with both fighters looking to cement their standing in one of MMA’s most competitive divisions. Let’s take a closer look at the fight weeks odds.

Modestas Bukauskas vs. Paul Craig Betting Odds and Line Movement

The betting market has strongly favored Modestas Bukauskas in the upcoming light heavyweight bout against Paul Craig, with odds shifting steadily in Bukauskas’s favor as the fight approaches. When the matchup was first posted in early July, opening money-line odds generally sat around –275 for Bukauskas and +200 for Craig. This initial pricing reflected Bukauskas’s recent run of form – four wins in his last five outings – and Craig’s three-fight skid (including a no-contest). The best sports bettors keep their minds sharp. How? Discover effective nootropic pills designed for brain performance.

Over the ensuing weeks, Bukauskas’s odds shortened further, while Craig’s drifted out, indicating bettors increasingly backed the Lithuanian-British striker. By fight week, leading sportsbooks had Bukauskas at approximately –355 (implying about a 75% win chance) and Craig at +280 (about a 25% chance) on the money line. That swing represents roughly a –80-point move for Bukauskas and a +80-point move for Craig from the open.

Market action suggests the predicted outcome is a Bukauskas victory, most likely by KO/TKO. However, neither the knockout nor submission prop lines have shown major movement, implying consensus that Bukauskas will win but uncertainty about the method remains.

For Modestas Bukauskas, a win would extend his resurgence since returning to the Octagon in early 2023, solidifying his place among the division’s contenders and potentially earning him a crack at a top-10 opponent next. It would also validate his evolution as a more complete fighter – showcasing the power and precision that fueled his two Cage Warriors title runs.

For Paul Craig, the stakes are even higher: a victory over a rising favorite like Bukauskas would instantly reverse the momentum after his recent ups and downs, vaulting the veteran Scot back into the conversation for high-profile matchups. Craig has built his reputation on submission artistry and never-say-die grit, and a win here could reawaken the buzz that earned him eight “Performance of the Night” bonuses and briefly flirted with title contention.

Bukauskas entered as a solid favorite and has only become more so, with bettors banking on his improved striking to carry him to victory over Craig. As the fighters step into the Octagon, all eyes will be on whether the odds-makers’ confidence in Bukauskas proves justified or if Craig can defy the lines and pull off the upset.