It might not be the biggest card of the year. But the show (and UFC Fight Night) will go on.
All odds per Draftkings Sportsbook, as of August 9, 2024 at 9pm.
Toshiomi Kazama (+210) vs Charalampos Grigoriou (-258)
Toshiomi Kazama has a record of 10-4, with 5 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kazama is on a 2 fight losing streak and hoping to turn things around on Saturday night when he will be facing Charalampos Grigoriou. Grigoriou hails from Cyprus and has obtained an 8-4 professional record with 6 of those wins coming by way of knockout. Grigoriou made a name for himself by knocking out Cameron Smotherman in front of the boss Dana White on “Dana White’s Contender Series”.
Considering Kazama has not fought since August 23rd of last year along with the power that Grigoriou possesses, I predict Grigoriou by knockout in the first round. He’s currently -110 to win by KO on Draftkings.
Yana Santos (-148) vs Chelsea Chandler (+124)
Moving on to the next fight on the main card we go over to the women’s Bantamweight division, where we will see Yana Santos take on Chelsea Chandler. Santos has been in the UFC since 2018 and has fought household names, including Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm. She holds a 14-8 record but has been on a dreadful 3 fight losing streak. Santos will have to fight desperately to avoid her fourth loss in a row against a hungry Chelsea Chandler. Chandler’s last two fights have gone the distance and I expect the same to happen Saturday night against Santos.
This fight will go the distance, but with Yana Santos being the victor. I believe the threat of losing 4 fights in a row along with the experience of fighting all time greats like Holm and Cyborg, will give Santos the edge.
Chris Gutierrez (-575) vs Quang Le (+425)
I have this fight as a lock for fight of the night. Quang Le was supposed to make his debut for the UFC on “Dana White’s Contender Series” but instead got the call to fight a highly experienced and skilled fighter in Chris Gutierrez. Le is undefeated in his MMA career with a record of 8-0.
On the other side of the cage will be Gutierrez who holds a 20-6-2 record. Gutierrez is the much more seasoned fighter and has fought former top ranked fighter like Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz. Le has an opportunity tomorrow night to put the UFC on notice and show that he has arrived to the big leagues, while Gutierrez will try to make light work of the less experienced Le in hopes of getting back in the win column.
Will the lights be too bright for Le? Can Gutierrez prove he is the better fighter? These questions will be answered and for my prediction, I am going with Chris Gutierrez to rain on Quang Le’s parade. Gutierrez by way of decision (currently -135).
Danny Barlow (-375) vs Nikolay Veretennikov (+295)
Danny Barlow has won his last four fights by TKO and holds an 8-0 record with his last two wins coming in the UFC. With a record like that, and 4 TKO wins in a row, it’s easy to understand why Barlow comes in at a -375 favorite against his opponent Nikolay Veretennikov. In 2021, Nikolay fought on “Dana White’s Contender Series” and lost by unanimous decision. On Saturday night, he will make his return in hopes of winning and sticking around for the long haul. Nikolay’s last three fights have been impressive with finishes all in the second round or earlier.
I believe that tomorrow night Danny Barlow will prove that Vegas having him as a -375 favorite is spot on. I believe the confidence that Barlow has of winning eight fights in a row will carry him to victory yet again. Barlow by TKO in the third round. (Barlow by KO/TKO/DQ is currently +110).
Damon Jackson (+170) vs Chepe Mariscal (-205)
Damon Jackson is coming off of a split decision victory against Alexander Hernandez, who was once one of the best up and coming fighters the UFC had to offer. That means very little to his opponent Chepe Mariscal who is on a six fight win streak.
The biggest factor in this fight will be the age of Damon Jackson. He’s coming into this fight at a ripe age of 36 years old. Statistically, when fighters get into the high 30’s, especially at the low weight classes, they tend to fade. Mariscal is coming into the fight on Saturday night as a -205 favorite, and rightfully so. My pick is Meriscal by TKO in the 2nd round. (Meriscal by KO/TKO/DQ is currently +225).
Marcin Tybura vs Serghei Spivac
The main event on Saturday night is between two behemoths in Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac. Spivac is coming off a loss to Ciryl Gane. But Gane, being one the best Heavyweights in the division, is no easy matchup.
Before Gane, Spivac had fought and won against Derrick Lewis and Aleksei Oleinik, two UFC legends. Spivac clearly has the skill and the ground game to compete and win against other highly spoken of UFC Heavyweights.
But can he avenge his loss against Marcin Tybura? In their first match up four years ago, Tybura beat Spivac by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Benavides vs Figueiredo. Tybura was fairly dominant in their first fight with more significant strikes landed, total strikes landed, takedowns landed, and control time.
My prediction is that we see more of what we saw four years ago from Marcin Tybura. And as of more recently, what we saw him do against Tai Tuivasa, finishing him in the first round by submission. My prediction is Tybura dominates the fight on the ground and wins by unanimous decision. (Tybura by Decision is currently +400).
Disclaimer: this is not financial advice. This is for educational and entertainment purposes. If you are going to engage in sports betting, please do so responsibly.
