Douglas Vegas Bets

The UFC gives us some great PPV action this week from Singapore, headlined by two title fights featuring Glover Teixeira (+175) and Jiri Prochazka (-204) in the Lightheavyweight main event and Valentina Shevchenko (-556) taking on Taila Santos (+450) in our Flyweight Co-Main. This is a deep card with lots of close fights that provide good betting oppourtunities to examine so lets look at these matchups. 

**All Odds Provided By Stake.com Accurate as of 6/8/2022 8:00 PM EST**

## Glover Teixeira +175 Jiri Prochazka -204

What a great matchup at Lightheavyweight with a solidified, well-rounded veteran in the champ Teixeira going up against a terrifying man to stand across from in Prochazka in a fight that everyone, including the bookies, knows isn't going to last long. The challenger is Jiri Prochazka, who has made a name for himself with his wild style that naturally leads to insane fights as he eats shots with no fear and if he can stand, you can bet he is moving forwards throwing massive power. Glover Teixeira has been a bettor's dream, cashing at near even and underdog prices in each of his last six fights, and here he is again at plus money; however, we must evaluate this fight on its own rather than get caught up in Glover's improbable streak, and in this fight, he is at every physical disadvantage. He will need to implement a grappling heavy gameplan to slow the pressure coming his way or it will be a bad night for the champ. 

I look at this fight, and despite the recent success of Glover in this role, I am confident in playing Prochazka as he is the most dangerous high-level striker Teixeira has fought on this run and I believe his pressure and power will be too much for Glover at this stage in his career. 

Pick: Prochazka ML 
O/U: Under 1.5 -105

## Valentina Shevchenko -556 Taila Santos +460

In this one, we get Valentina Shevchenko taking her usual place as a big favorite, although not quite as large as other recent fights, because Taila Santos is the most exciting competition she has had in a while. Shevchenko is a fighter that is complicated to find a path to victory against as she is so well-rounded, but in this matchup, I believe she is best suited to use her counter striking and avoid grappling exchanges. Santos has quite a task in front of her very early in her career, with her only having one win over a ranked opponent before earning this title shot.

While I expect Santos to be more challenging than some past opponents have been for Valentina, this feels too soon for her. I also think that this one will go the distance as both women are very high level and should respect each other skills. It is impossible to get value out of Valentina straight, so I will take a chance on Santos to survive and take Shevchenko by decision at -106. 

Pick: Shevchenko ML
O/U: Over 3.5 -175

## Weili Zhang -167 Joanna Jedrzejczyk +147

Here we have the much-anticipated rematch from a 2020 classic; however, this time, there is not a belt on the line but the chance to get a shot at newly crowned champ Carla Esparza. Weili was able to get a close decision in the first fight as a near -200 favorite, and the line has thinned out for the rematch; I see very little reason for this as I feel Weili is coming off a strong performance against Namajunas in that rematch showing improvements as a martial artist making me think that at -167 we may be getting a better Weili than we got at -200. Joanna has not fought since their first fight, and although she has fought strong off a layoff before, it is a factor that is certainly not in her favor in a fight where every advantage is vital.

I believe that Weili is the one who has more to improve on from their first fight and will show the improvements to win this fight on the scorecards. I am even more confident that this will again go the distance as we have seen these two go five-round this time; we only need three. 

Pick: Zhang ML
O/U: Over 2.5 -303

## Rogerio Bontorin +210 Manel Kape -244

Here we get a good matchup in the deep Flyweight division with the fast-rising Manel Kape getting another tough test against a strong grappler in Bontorin. Bontorin is one of the best grapplers at Flyweight, which gives him a path to victory against the top-tier strikers in the division like Kape. Manel Kape has shown his explosiveness in his last few fights after a rocky UFC start, but I do not believe he is worth being this size a favorite over a fighter with a clear grappling advantage. 

This is a good price to take Bontorin; in my eyes, if he can implement his game plan, he could take complete control of this fight. 

Pick: Bontorin ML
O/U: Over 2.5 +105

## Jack Della Maddalena -156 Ramazan Emeev +138

Here we get a pretty good striker vs. grappler matchup, which is always a fun dynamic. Maddalena is an outstanding boxer who fights with a lot of pace and pressure, which has resulted in him stopping many of his opponents. Emeev will be looking to get this fight to the ground and will need tremendous success there to win the fight as he is at a clear disadvantage in the striking. 

I see Maddalena's striking advantage as a bigger problem than Emeevs grappling, so I will take Maddalena to win this fight altough im not eager to bet him as I think this one will be close.

Pick: Maddalena ML
O/U: Over 2.5 -217

## Brendan Allen -294 Jacob Malkoun +250

I like Brendan Allen in this spot as I believe he is better everywhere than Malkoun. Allen has impressed me a lot with his skill set as his striking is clean, but it has been his grappling in the past that has led him to many victories. Malkoun can grind out wins over anyone who doesn't show up prepared as he has a great gas tank and is good at making fights ugly with clinches on the fence, but his striking leaves much to be desired. 

I do not see Malkoun having any success in this fight as he will need to control Allen to win, and I believe he is outmatched in the grappling department. It is a steep price on Allen now; however, it is tough to bet his props as he could win this fight in many ways. 

Pick: Allen ML
O/U: Over 2.5 +107 

## Seung Woo Choi -250 Joshua Culibao +215

This one should be fun as both guys are sure to bring it in this Featherweight matchup. Choi comes in as a pretty big favorite, and I see why as I give him advantages in most areas of this fight. Culibao has a lot of pre UFC finishes but has yet to get one in the octagon, although he has proven he can go three tough rounds. 

I will pick Choi here, but I am not going to bet this one as the line is a bit wide for my liking. One play I did consider was the over 2.5 however there is going to be too much action for me to trust my money there.  

Pick: Choi ML
O/U: Over 2.5 -132

## Hayisaer Maheshate +150 Steve Garcia -169

Here we get the debut of a very young Maheshate who is only 22 years old, coming off of Dana White's Contender Series. Maheshate has shown to be a good striker, but he has a lot to prove about his overall skill set and how he matches up against higher-level competition before I could bet on him. Garcia has good experience against tough competition, and I expect him to be a level above Maheshate on fight night as he should have advantages everywhere.

I believe Garcia will get the win here, but the price is not good enough for me to make a play on him, and it has only risen throughout the week. 

Pick: Garcia ML
O/U: Under 2.5 -185

## Jake Matthews +138 Andre Fialho -156

Another week another Fialho fight as he continues his very active 2020 against another tough test in Matthews. Fialho has power and has made a name for himself with it earning several highlight knockouts in his last few fight; however, he has shown defensive flaws in the stand-up and on the ground, leaving questions about his overall skillset. Matthews comes into this one with a lot more experience against high-level competition, which I think will favor him well here as he will be able to identify his path to victory. 

I understand the danger of betting against someone as powerful as Fialho. Still, I feel Matthews is the better fighter and should not be an underdog, as some line movement has also indicated. His most likely path to victory is via decision, but I am willing to bet him straight as I would not be shocked if we saw a finish from him. 

Pick: Matthews ML
O/U: Over 2.5 +103

## Kyung Ho Kang +118 Batgerel Danaa -133

This is a good matchup here as we see Danaa get a quick turnaround against a solid veteran in Kang. Kang has been around the UFC for a while and has proven a tough out for most with a solid grappling game. Danaa has serious power, but when put against an opponent who was challenging to finish in his last fight, he lost, showing he may have trouble if this fight gets past the first round. 

I like Kang here for the simple reason that I don't see Danaa finishing him, which has proven his only path to victory at this level. Kang at plus money straight is good enough for me as he could win this fight on the scorecards or find a submission late. 

Pick: Kang ML +118
O/U: Over -133

## Silvana Gomez Juarez -141 Na Liang +124

Here we get a fight at Strawweight where both women have had their struggles in the UFC thus far and are looking to turn it around. Gomez Juarez is coming off back-to-back armbar losses, the latest of which was tough as it seemed she was on her way to finishing the fight herself. Liang is coming off a long layoff after her tough UFC debut; however, she has shown finishing ability in her pre UFC fights. 

This one is tough to pick, but I will lean with the underdog; as if this fight is on the ground at all, a submission is in play for her, however, if this one stays standing for too long, Gomez Juarez could score a knockout, so I will avoid betting a side. 

Pick: Liang ML
O/U: Under 1.5 -102

## Joselyne Edwards -161 Ramona Pascual +143

Here we get a rare Women's Featherweight bout to start the night, with Edwards coming in a decent favorite. Edwards will need to keep this one standing as she has a clear striking advantage; however, she has been taken down and controlled before. Pascual has decent wrestling, which may be enough to win her this matchup, but that is all she has, and if she can't control Edwards for at least two rounds, she will lose. 

Edwards is a justified favorite as it will be on Pascual to get the takedowns and control enough to win, which I do not see happening. That being said, this price is too much for me to lay on a fight at this level, so no bet from me here.

Pick: Edwards ML 
O/U: Over 2.5 -222

## DougLasVegasBets.net Plays

ML:
Brendan Allen -294 (Best Bet)
Jake Mattews +138
Kyung Ho Kang +118

O/U:
Zhang Jedrzejczyk Over 2.5 -303

Props:
Prochazka by KO/TKO -133
Shevnchenko by Decision -106 
Weili Zhang by Decision +132

UFC 275 Betting Preview

Taylor Dow

Valentina Anatolievna Shevchenko was born on March 7th, 1988, in Frunze, Kirghizia, USSR (now known as Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) to Ukrainian parents, Anatoly and Elena Shevchenko. 

 ![bullet4yo.jpg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/0092c664-2e55-46b3-7027-86307842fb00/pub "Valentina Shevchenko at the age of 4 in Kyrgyzstan")
 

Valentina was introduced to combat sports by her mother, who was the President of Kyrgyzstan’s national Muay Thai association and a former multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion. Valentina began training Taekwondo at age 5 under the influence of her older sister, Antonina, and her mother. Valentina would continue training Taekwondo until she was 12 years old, when she decided to branch out into Muay Thai and freestyle Vale Tudo. In the year 2000, she began her amateur Muay Thai career where, as a 12-year-old, she knocked out a 22-year-old-opponent and earned her nickname “Bullet” from her coach Pavel Fedotov due to her speed inside the ring. After receiving an undergraduate degree in Film Directing from the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic Valentina moved to Peru with her sister and coach in 2007 to teach martial arts and subsequently earned citizenship a year later. Valentina is fluent in Russian, English and Spanish. 



![bulletyoung.jpg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/9847573e-e828-4bf8-1839-af49a0896300/pub "Valentina, aged 14, after defeating 25-year-old Tina Zakarian")


Valentina won 33 Muay Thai fights in a row until facing her first defeat against Aicha El Majydy of Morocco in 2011. Valentina would finish her Muay Thai career with a record of 55-1 (with notable wins over Lina Länsberg once and Joanna Jędrzejczyk three times) while also fighting in professional kickboxing and MMA. She continued with kickboxing and MMA until 2015, going 57-2 in kickboxing and 11-1 in MMA, when she received a short notice opportunity to fight in the UFC against Sarah Kaufman, stepping in for Germaine de Randamie. Valentina won the fight via split decision and was matched up with Amanda Nunes in her second fight. Valentina lost via unanimous decision after rallying to control Amanda in the final round, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough as Amanda had won the first two rounds on all three judges' score cards.

![b3c13f5574a74f4b2d494a688dd87402.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/3061632f-e19b-4114-8634-4b832524ca00/pub "Valentina Shevchenko with her signature celebration dance. Credits to: Esther Lin-MMAFighting")

Valentina went on to dominate Holly Holm and submit Julianna Peña to earn another shot at Amanda Nunes, this time for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship and although the fight was close, Valentina lost via split decision and opted to drop down to the newly added Flyweight division. Valentina faced Priscila Cachoeira in her Flyweight debut where she dominated her and won the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round to earn a shot at the vacant Flyweight title against Joanna Jędrzejczyk, where, again, she dominated and was crowned undisputed champion.

Since then, Valentina has run through every opponent at Flyweight and either won by KO/TKO or one-sided decision. She currently sits at six consecutive title defenses and is looking to make seven when she faces Taila Santos at UFC 275 in Singapore. 

![public (1).webp](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/e9589a7c-a86e-4718-8111-e4572f5ed500/pub "Valentina defends her Flyweight title with an incredible head kick knockout against Jessica Eye. Credits to: Jeff Bottari-Getty Images")

Today, Valentina is recognized as a Master of Sport in Taekwondo, Boxing, Judo, Muay Thai and Kickboxing and has a combined professional combat sports record of 81-5. She is the current UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion and the only Champion in the history of her division. Valentina is easily one of the greatest fighters of any gender to ever compete in combat sports and will undoubtedly go down in history as such. 

With a win against Santos at UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko will break the record for the most Champion defenses by a Women's fighter in UFC history. Is she the greatest ever? She's certainly closing in on that title.

The greatest ever? A look at the career of Valentina Shevchenko

ROUNDHOUSE MMA

After a week off, the UFC got back to business quickly, featuring a stellar card with two top ten Heavyweights, Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, competing in the main event at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Let’s recap what went down.

## Controversial Stoppage?

![image2.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/1465156f-cdea-47b4-0eb0-5330aa4be300/pub "Alexander Volkov lands a finishing sequence on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Credits to: Chris Unger of Getty Images.")

While the main event ended in the 1st round, a lot of fans were quick to ask whether Alexander Volkov’s first-round TKO over Jairzinho Rozesntruik was legitimate. Early into the fight, Rozenstruik clipped Volkov with a left hook that had him wobbled. Volkov quickly regained his composure and followed up later with a massive straight and then a hook that sent Rozenstruik’s mouthpiece flying. Rozesntruik crumbled and was not defending himself from Volkov’s barrage of punches, which prompted referee Herb Dean to stop the fight. Rozenstruik seemed to raise his hands in the air in confusion and protested the stoppage, but Volkov, in his post-fight interview, seemed to agree with the stoppage. He stated, “I know that he does not have good defense back to the cage. I just see him go to the cage and just go forward for the knockout. Good fight.” While many fans sided with Jairzinho over the early stoppage, some also sided with Alexander, saying that Jairzinho was not defending himself. A very small 0.68% of the Verdict Community correctly predicted Volkov to win by first round knockout, as well. 

## Movsar Evloev Is a Top Ten Featherweight

![image1.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/1ec1ce55-174b-4e83-b4a0-a2e7f6bf5000/pub "Movsar Evloev gets his hand raised after defeating Dan Ige. Credits to: Chris Unger of Getty Images.")

Movsar Evloev is a prospect that has a lot of potential in this sport. He is now 16-0, following a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige, where he dominated with over 144 total strikes landed, and nine takedowns. With wins over Ige, Hakeem Dawodu, Mike Grundy, and Seungwoo Choi, Evloev really seems like a future title contender in this division. It will be interesting to see how the UFC matches him up in his next fight, but I personally am aiming for a fight between Evloev and Ilia Topuria, two fellow prospects with very high ceilings. 

## Debuters Welcome Themselves To The UFC

![image0.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/aefe1e2e-d13b-4995-cd47-fd0161b11200/pub "Lucas Almedia wobbles Mike Trizano. Credits to: Chris Unger of Getty Images.")

It was a night to remember for three fighters making their UFC debut. Lucas Almeida picked up a third-round TKO victory over the former Ultimate Fighter season 27 winner Michael Trizano, in an exciting fight. Almedia is now 14-1, with his only loss coming on Dana White’s Contender Series, which was a back-and-forth fight. 1.24% of the Verdict Community correctly predicted Almedia's third round knockout. Karine Silva also picked up her first UFC win by submitting Poliana Botelho in the 1st round after landing a massive overhand right. Finally, Rinat Fakhretdinov picked up a unanimous decision win over Andreas Michalilidas, moving his record to 19-1. Rinat dominated with the wrestling, with five takedowns, and an astounding thirteen minutes of control time. The majority of the fight was spent with Michailidis on his back, tired, and no way of getting up. Dana White and company consistently find, and bring in stellar talent to the UFC, and these three fighters certainly made their debuts a good one, with all of them picking up wins. 

## Karolina Kowalkiewicz Is Back In The Win Column

![IMG_2810.jpg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/244311fe-70a2-4358-291d-14c2220a9200/pub "Karolina Kowalkiewicz gets emotional after her win over Felice Herrig. Credits to: Chris Unger of Getty Images.")

Once a former title challenger with wins over Rose Namajunas and Randa Markos, Karolina Kowalkiewicz has not had much success lately. On Saturday night, she snapped a five-fight losing streak dating back to 2018, with a submission win over Felice Herrig in the second round. Karolina looked fantastic throughout the fight, landing more offense, maintaining top control on the ground, and eventually sinking in the rear-naked choke, at 4:01 in the 2nd round. Karolina was very emotional following her win, as it has not been easy for her recently. 

## Who is Askar Mozharov?

![IMG_2835.jpg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/2010471c-8d62-425a-3f77-8105b3eacd00/pub "Alonzo Menifield takes down Askar Mozharov. Credits to: Chris Unger of Getty Images.")

Most fans were quick to assume that Askar Mozharov was just another fighter making his UFC debut this weekend. But, if you do a little digging, you’ll find some very mysterious things about this fighter. Mozharov has gone by multiple names with his record being a complete mystery. The UFC now has his record at 19-13, but prior to that, it was 25-7, and then 21-12. Mozharov quickly earned his 13th professional loss at the hand of Alonzo Menifield, but it was very fascinating to learn about this fighter’s mysterious past. 

It was an afternoon of fights to remember at the UFC APEX, with great finishes, back and forth bouts, UFC debutants shining, mysterious fighter's pasts, and more. Next week, the UFC will pack their things and head to Singapore for UFC 275 featuring two title fights and a rematch of one of the greatest fights of all time. 


UFC Vegas 56 Ends in a Night of Finishes

Jordan Lopez

The highly anticipated rematch of the greatest Women's fight in combat sports history is upon us as Zhang Weili welcomes back Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 in Kallang, Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. This pay-per-view is headlined by Glover Teixeira as he takes on Jiří Procházka for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The co-main event features the Women's Flyweight Champion and the women's number one pound-for-pound fighter, Valentina Shevchenko, as she goes for her 7th straight title defense against Taila Santos.

With the rematch between Weili and Jedrzejczyk happening at UFC 275, a lot has happened between their first fight and the rematch. Let's take a look into both of their paths.

## Weili Zhang's Path

![WeiliUFC261.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/9a28fa53-b16c-4217-f815-559b67f4f300/pub "Zhang Weili getting announced at UFC 261. Credits to: Chris Unger-Getty Images.")

In March of 2020, Weili was preparing for her first-ever title defense at UFC 248 against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Weili had just become the Strawweight Champion as she finished Jéssica Andrade by 1st round TKO. Weili was on a 20-fight winning streak and having and had momentum in her favor. On the flip side, that wasn't the case for Jedrzejczyk.

## Joanna Jedrzejczyk's Path

![JoannaUFC248.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/9db14862-a0d9-492d-2063-2831b504fd00/pub "Joanna Jedrzejczyk getting ready to take on Zhang Weili at UFC 248. Credits to: Jeff Bottari-Getty Images.")

Jedrzejczyk had previously become the Strawweight Champion in March of 2015 when she finished Carla Esparza by TKO at UFC 185. After becoming Champion, Jedrzejczyk successfully defended her title 5x. She defeated contenders like Jessica Penne, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Andrade, and more.

Jedrzejczyk would have her 14 fight undefeated streak snapped by Rose Namajunas at UFC 217, losing the fight by TKO. It was the first loss she had suffered in her professional career. 

Jedrzejczyk would get an immediate rematch with Namajunas at UFC 223 as but fell short, losing the fight by decision. After earning a win against Tecia Torres, Jedrzejczyk moved up a division to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the Flyweight Title at UFC 231 but did so unsuccessfully. Jedrzejczyk would go on to make her return back to the Strawweight division in 2019, when she defeated Michelle Waterson in the main event by decision. After the dominating win, she earned herself another title shot and this time it would be against Weili at UFC 248. 

## Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk 1

![206_Zhang_Weili_x_Joanna_Je_drzejczyk.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/96b750f6-4595-4def-34ff-88f0749a5700/pub "Zhang Weili landing a right hand against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248. Credits to: Esther Link-MMA Fighting.")

It was a historic night for mixed martial arts, as Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk went on to compete in a fight that's widely considered the greatest fight in Women's combat sports history. It might be the greatest fight in history, period. It was a closely contested fight that resulted in a split decision win for Zhang Weili. Many still contest the decision, as they belive Jedrzejczyk won the fight.

![Group.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/2559f05d-332c-46c5-6fec-4569b1848b00/pub "The Verdict Scorecard for Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk 1")

## Going into the Rematch

After their first fight, Jedrzejczyk has been away from the sport for two years. She took a mental break and looks to come back stronger. Jedrzejczyk is back training with head coach Mike Brown and American Top Team to prepare for Weili and make another run at the Strawweight title. Assuming that her fight camp went well, in terms of injuries, Jedrzejczyk should be the fresher fighter. She hasn't fought in over two years so she shouldn't have any lingering injuries a fighter would have that is more active, like Weili. 

Weili will be coming into this fight as the more active fighter, which can play to her advantage. She has fought twice since defeating Jedrzejczyk. Both of those fights were losses against Rose Namajunas. It's important to note that Weili has taken some damage in these fights. The first fight against Namajunas at UFC 261 was a knockout loss followed by losing a decision in the rematch.

It'll be interesting to see if the inactivity of Jedrzejczyk plays a factor in the rematch. Jedrzejczyk has a tenacious striking attack and strong muay thai that caused problems for Weili in the first fight. When throwing her combinations, Jedrzejczyk consistently throws a leg kick at the end. That is what damaged the lead leg of Weili early in the last fight, but Weili prevailed. She continued to throw powerful, clean straight shots that landed at a high rate and will look to do the same at UFC 275. With the amount of damage Weili has absorbed as of late, the rematch can look drastically different if Weili engages in those heated exchanges with Jedrzejczyk again.

When they meet again in Singapore for UFC 275, the stakes and the fight itself will be different. This will be a 3 round fight opposed to a 5 round fight. The confidence of the Verdict Community has always shifted heading into the rematch. Whereas 64.5% predicted Weili to win the first fight, that number has dropped to 53.9% heading into the rematch.

The winner of this fight will likely be the next challenger for Carla Esparza's Strawweight title. Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk 2 is upon us.

![Group 2.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/c4b342fd-508c-47ab-8ad4-98713cc0a900/public)

UFC275: Comparing the first fight between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk to the rematch

On Saturday, we saw some incredible action from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, featuring a dominant decision win for Movsar Evloev and a back and forth war between Mike Trizano and Lucas Almedia, with the night being capped off by a clinical first-round finish by Alexander Volkov. I had a great week with the DouglasVegasBets.net plays, going a perfect 4-0, but there is still much to be learned from each of these fights. 

** All Odds Provided By Stake.com Accurate as of 6/1/22 2:30 pm EST **

## Alexander Volkov -149 Jairzinho Rozenstruik +131

Volkov looked as sharp as ever in the main event getting a nasty first-round finish to end the night. This was a great showing from Volkov as he answered many questions about how he would respond to his last performance. He showed no issue coming back, putting the pressure on from the start and forcing Rozenstruik to crumble; this puts Volkov back in with the top strikers at Heavyweight and even as someone who has backed him a lot in past years, I am not sure there are many ranked ahead of him that I would favor him against. Jairzinho had a tough night here as he was put on the back foot immediately, and just as he managed to counter one of the front-kicks that Volkov was throwing, he was caught with a beautiful right hand, and that was the beginning of the end for him, if I am ever going to back Rozenstruik, he would have to show massive development or take a significant drop in competition level. 

## Dan Ige +320 Movsar Evloev -385

This fight was an excellent showcase for the well-rounded skillset of Movsar Evloev. Many, including myself, expected Evloev to grapple earlier in the fight; however, he showed some experience here as he faded in the Dawodu fight from wrestling so much early; this time out, he used his wrestling more efficiently, resulting in his cardio holding up much better. Ige is still what we knew him to be, a crazy tough and scrappy competitor, but in this fight, he was outmatched. 

## Mike Trizano -222 Lucas Almeida +190

This was a war as we saw back and forth knockdowns like it was a video game, with Almeida eventually landing the fight-ending blow. Almeida looked sharp aside from getting caught late in the first as he was winning that round to that point and took over the fight as it progressed with his shots doing the more damage. Trizano didn't look bad; his power was just not enough to get into a firefight like that with Almeida. 

## Poliana Botelho +102 Karine Silva -115

A buzzer-beater finish in this one as Silva proves she can get it done at the UFC level with a first-round finish. It is impressive to get someone to tap with only five seconds left in a round, and that is precisely what Karine Silva did as she secured a D'Arce choke showing her finishing ability translates to the UFC. This was the second late first-round submission loss for Botelho, curiously enough, and as she drops her fourth in her last five, it is tough to know what is next. 

## Ode Osbourne -179 Zarrukh Adashev +155

This was fun while it lasted as we saw a dangerous counter game played very well by Osbourne as he used his reach to avoid dangerous shots from Adashev. In the end, it was a great shot by Osbourne that ended the fight and cashed the last leg of my parlay, but I must say I was nervous watching how close many of those shots came to hitting him, and I would have a hard time backing him against a more patient striker. Adashev forced the action from the start here and paid the price. 

## Alonzo Menifield -152 Askar Mozharov +135

After some record controversy, Menifield ended up closing across the -200 line and showed he was the better martial artist by quickly taking down Mozharov and cashing any first-round bets. Menifield looked good here and showed he is willing to take the path of least resistance which is great to see as a bettor, and I am excited to see who he gets matched up with next. Mozharov did not look UFC caliber, and if he fights for the promotion again, I will not bet on him. 

## Felice Herrig -116 Karolina Kowalkiewicz +103

This is precisely what I hoped to see from Kowalkiewicz after changing camps and taking some time off, as she looked like a refreshed fighter. I believe this performance was a perfect storm of a fighter with some new confidence and an opponent who was half out the door as Herrig never got going and retired following the bout. This was a good win; however, there are a lot of tough fights at Strawweight, so it will be interesting to see who Kowalkiewicz gets next. 

## Joe Solecki -167 Alex da Silva +146

Tough fight to score here with Solecki getting the win; however, despite the results, I feel this line was wrong as Alex da Silva looked very good at times in this fight. Solecki showed his skills on the ground in this one causing many issues there for da Silva; despite not getting a finish there with his control time, his striking, however, was a step behind, which cost him here as he was unable to accomplish much in the stand-up which nearly cost him the fight. Alex da Sliva gave this fight away as he made several mistakes in following Solecki to the ground after his early knockdown and having a point taken for repeatedly cheating; a lot of potential was shown in this performance, but a disappointing result, and in a fashion that gives me hesitations about betting on him in future fights. 

## Damon Jackson -500* Daniel Argueta +350*

Nearly had a wild upset in this one as the short notice Dan Argueta showed up in shape and gave the heavy-favorite Jackson everything he could handle. We know how skilled Damon Jackson is, and he displayed his grappling abilities again in this fight, but his lack of stand-up and cardio in the third round made me nervous as someone who needed him to win for my parlay. Argueta certainly made a name for himself here despite not getting the win as he proved he could go three rounds any day, even in a tough matchup up a weight class; excited to see Argueta get a matchup in his actual weight class. 

## Benoit Saint-Denis -156 Niklas Stolze +138

This was an impressive showing from Saint-Denis as he got an opportunity to display his skills at Lightweight in a good matchup with Stolze struggling on the ground. Saint-Denis dominated this fight in a way I did not expect, as he was easily able to take down and control Stolze resulting in a second-round finish; now we have seen Saint-Denis execute his gameplan, but I still have a hard time backing him against opponents with more wrestling experience. Stolze drops his third in three Octagon appearances proving he may not belong at this level. 

## Tony Gravely -128 Johnny Munoz Jr +114

It was a much different fight than I expected here, as we did not make it far enough to see any grappling exchanges between the two before Gravely was able to close the show with a short right hand. Good win for Gravely, as he showed his power and finishing ability early here. Tough night for Munoz Jr, but this happens; he will have other opportunities to prove his abilities. 

## Jeff Molina -172 Zhalgas Zhumagulov +150

Another week another split decision, and for the first time in a while, I was on the right side of it despite disagreeing with it. Molina showed a striking advantage but was out grappled and struggled when the fight got ugly; this is likely a result of his lack of experience, and a fight like this will only serve to benefit him in the long term. Zhumagulov gets a tough loss here, but it is still something to build on as he proved he did not deserve to be that considerable an underdog and can still be a problem at Flyweight. 

## Andreas Michailidas +235 Rinet Fakhredinov -270

This was a grueling grappling match that saw Fakhredinov able to control and damage Michalilidas for the majority of the three rounds. Fakhredinov proved himself in this fight as although he did not get the finish being able to grapple at that rate for a full three rounds is impressive, and he is a name to watch at Welterweight. Michailidas did not have the same level of cardio to be able to compete late in the fight or the skill to compete early in this fight which resulted in a tough night, dropping his UFC record to 1-3 across three weight classes; I will find it hard to back Michailidas until he finds some direction in his career path.

## Erin Blanchfield -500 JJ Aldrich +400

Nearly saw a massive upset as the live odds were even entering round two, but Blanchfield would secure the finish with an impressive standing guillotine to put a definitive end to the contest. Blanchfield had a rough start and was able to recover, which is good to see, but still, she is very young and could likely use some more time developing her skills before she begins to move up in the rankings too quickly based on this performance. Aldrich came to fight and showed out well early, but close doesn't cut it in MMA, and she is close but still not on the level of the more skilled women in the Flyweight division. 

## DougLasVegasBets.net Official Plays

Straight Bets:
Volkov -149

Props:
Evloev By Decision -164 (Best Bet) 

Parlays:
Molina/Blanchfield -112
Osbourne/Jackson  -115

Looking back at the betting action from UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik

Evan Montgomery

Today, news was announced that a Bantamweight bout between Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz is rumored to headline a UFC FIght Night card on August 13th. Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes first broke the news via Twitter. 

Marlon Vera (21-7-1) was last seen in April, defeating Rob Font in a five round decision. This pushed his win streak to three, and he has won 9 of his last 11 fights. "Chito" is an all-action fighter with 18 career finishes and is as dangerous on the feet as he is on the mat.

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz (24-3) returned to the Octagon after 3.5 years away opposite Henry Cejudo. Though he was finished in the 2nd round by Cejudo, Cruz won his next two bouts, most recently scoring a come-from-behind decision over Pedro Munhoz.

With Vera and Cruz being ranked at #5 and #8, respectively, this top-flight Bantamweight banger will certainly shift up the rankings and send a new challenger towards the Bantamweight throne.

Marlon Vera Rumored to Face Dominick Cruz on Aug. 13

Jack MacCool

The Light Heavyweight Division has been home to some of the biggest and baddest names in the sport for as long as MMA has been around.  In the early 2000s the 205 pound weight class was seen as the glamour division not only in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) but in MMA as a whole, with promotions like PRIDE FC and Strikeforce each playing host to some of the top talent the sport had to offer within the division.  

Today the Light Heavyweight division has seen a renaissance of sorts, with its most dominant Champion, Jon Jones, vacating the belt, ushering in a new era of title winners and challengers.  Or in current Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira’s case, a long-awaited second chance at glory, when he was able to dethrone Jan Blachowicz to claim the title last October–seven years after his first title shot.  

Now in less than a week, Teixeira will put his belt on the line in his first title defence against an extremely dangerous Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275. Will the Light Heavyweight Division welcome a new Champion? Or will Teixeira prove the old guard still has it? Either way, fans are in store for some fireworks, and what better time to examine the history of the Light Heavyweight title than before a massive Championship fight?

## The OGs of 205

The 205 pound division has seen many great champions during its lifespan, but the first champion was crowned in 1997, when Frank Shamrock defeated Kevin Jackson to become the first UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  At this time the weight class was not even referred to as Light Heavyweight yet, and was known as the Middleweight Title.  Shamrock defended the belt four times before he retired in 1999. 

After Shamrock retired, the vacant title match was set between Tito Ortiz and fellow Light Heavyweight legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25.  Ortiz defeated Silva to win the belt before defending it five times.  After the loss, Wanderlei would move to Pride, becoming their 205 pound champion and crafting his own legend through a vicious title reign in Japan.  

After some inactivity from Ortiz, another ‘OG’ of the Light Heavyweight division would step into the spotlight when Randy Couture defeated Chuck Liddell for the interim title.  Later that year, Couture defeated Ortiz in a unification belt to claim the undisputed title.  

Then, 2004 would see a pair of high level title fights when Vitor Belfort claimed the crown by defeating out Couture at UFC 46.  Just three months later, the two would rematch and Couture would regain the title via third round TKO.  

## Enter The Iceman
![176420538.jpg.0.webp](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/c704a3aa-4920-4f0f-d290-cc262450dc00/pub "Chuck Liddell with his signature pose. Credits to: Getty Images")

Chuck Liddell is one of the most well-known UFC stars ever.  But his journey to the Light Heavyweight crown was not an easy one.  Like numerous 205 pound stars of this era, Liddell would compete in both the UFC and Pride, racking up wins in each promotion before losing the interim title fight against Couture.  After the loss, Liddell would attempt to win the Pride Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, where he would get a win over Allistair Overeem before losing to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in the semifinal.  After that, Liddell would return to the UFC and pick up back-to-back knockout wins, including a second round finish of former champion Tito Ortiz.  From there, Chuck became the UFC’s biggest star.  He coached in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeated Couture at the end of the season to become the undisputed champion.  From there, he’d defend the belt four times, with two of the defences coming against Ortiz and Couture.  Unfortunately for ‘The Iceman’, his title reign would end at the hands of a familiar foe, Quinton Jackson, in May of 2007.

## The Belt Becomes a Hot Potato

2007 saw multiple important moments for the Light Heavyweight division.  Chuck Liddel finally lost his title by knockout after four defences when Quinton Jackson defeated him for the second time.  But at the same time this was happening, Dan Henderson was making a name for himself on the other side of the globe in Pride.  Henderson claimed the Pride 205 pound title when he finished Wanderlei Silva by KO in early 2007.  

When the UFC purchased Pride’s assets in March of 2007, a unification bout was set up in order to find out which promotion’s Light Heavyweights truly were the best.  The unification bout would see Jackson win a unanimous decision win over Henderson, unifying the titles and setting Jackson up for a fight with fan-favourite Forrest Griffin.  

It was at this point that the belt became a hot potato of sorts, as no champion of this era could establish themselves as a dominant force with more than one defence of the title.  Griffin would win it off of Jackson, then lose it to Rashad Evans by TKO.  The then-undefeated Evans would go on to lose the title to Lyoto Machida in his first title defence.  Machida would pick up a single defence of his title when he beat Shogun Rua by decision. Although we were welcomed into ‘The Machida Era’ with a lot of excitement, his one title defence came with a great deal of controversy as fans and pundits alike agreed that the judges saw the fight wrong.  Rua and Machida would instantly run it back, and Shogun would pick up a violent round one knockout.  Shogun’s first title defence would come against Jon Jones, and only then would the belt find a long-term home.  

## Jon Jones Takes Over The Division

![a2392f73-0f02-4258-a26c-49e03bf858b2-Jon_Jones_arrested_again.webp](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/91be9c55-f934-4388-4e4d-2c9bb08a4400/pub "Jon Jones broke every Championship record in the Light Heavyweight division. Credits to: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports")

Jon Jones’ first title opportunity came in 2011 against Shogun Rua after rattling off six wins in his first seven UFC fights.  Jones would dismantle Rua, finishing the fight by third round by TKO.  At just 23 years old, Jones was the youngest champion in UFC history and looked to dominate the Light Heavyweight division for years to come–and he did just that.  Jones would rattle off wins over five former champions to begin his title reign. He beat Rua, Jackson, Machida, Evans, and Belfort in his first five title fights with just one of those coming by decision.  

He then went on to defeat Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, and Teixeira to bring his defence total up to seven.  It was then that he would face his biggest rival and biggest challenge for the first time–Daniel Cormier.  DC was a former Olympic wrestler who had won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and held an undefeated professional record when he faced Jones in 2015.  Jones would get the decision win over Cormier but their stories involving each other were far from over.   

## The Jones/Cormier Rivalry

![History of LHW JBJ x DC.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/cf2792a1-1a9b-4129-6e05-f2a62deaaf00/pub "Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier face off at UFC 214 weigh ins. Credits to: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting")

Though he was hardly ever in trouble within the Octagon, the trouble in Jones’ life manifested itself outside the cage when he was involved in a felony hit and run shortly after his win over Cormier.  He was stripped of the title on April 28, 2015.  This led to Cormier and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson fighting for the newly vacant title later that year.  Cormier would defeat Johnson by submission to become the undisputed champion.  This paved the way for another Cormier Jones matchup, but leading up to their rematch Cormier had to pull due to injury and was replaced by contender Ovince Saint Preux. Jones would defeat OSP by unanimous decision to win the interim title. It was then that the much-anticipated rematch between Jones and Cormier was scheduled to take place at UFC 200.  Unfortunately for fight fans everywhere Jones was suspended for one year by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a doping violation, meaning the rematch would have to wait.  

![ZBTX67H6NEI6PDR4OR3QQ3ZHTU.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/eebcced7-ceed-45c1-1a76-9cf63dbc1b00/pub "Daniel Cormier after defending his Light Heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir. Credits to: Barry Chin-Globe Staff")

In the meantime, while Jones was out, Cormier had been building his own legacy at Light Heavyweight.  He defeated Alexander Gustafsson by split decision in his first title defence in an all time classic, followed by a non-title win over the great Anderson Silva at UFC 200 after Jones was pulled.  After that, Cormier picked up another submission win over Anthony Johnson and at that point it was finally time for Jones and Cormier to share the Octagon again.  

In their second matchup it was clear that Cormier had improved and was extremely prepared for the bout.  It was a back and forth first two rounds with each fighter finding their own success.  In the third round however, Jones landed a flush head kick that sent Cormier reeling.  After the kick Jones finished it on the ground with brutal ground and pound to regain the Light Heavyweight title he had formerly held for so long.  But yet again after the fight Jones found himself in hot water, having tested positive for an anabolic steroid.  Jones was suspended by USADA and stripped of the title by the UFC.  Cormier was then reinstated as champion and the result of the rematch was changed to a no contest.  From there DC would defend the belt one more time against Volkan Ozedemir before moving up to heavyweight and knocking out Stipe Miocic to become a two division champion.  Less than 200 days after winning the Heavyweight Championship Cormier would vacate the Light Heavyweight belt.  

After serving his suspension from USADA, Jones returned to face Gustafsson for a second time for the now vacant 205 pound title.  Jones would finish the Swede in the third round to reclaim the title once again.  From there he would defend the belt three more times against Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes before vacating the belt in August of 2020 to focus on a move to heavyweight.  

## Post-Jones Era

![maxresdefault.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/e72962dc-b82d-4324-d614-1effe6f81900/pub "Glover Teixeira became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in October of 2021. Credits to: Getty Images")

With Jones finally out of the title picture, the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Division saw parity it had not seen in a long time.  In the first vacant title fight since Jones left, the UFC pitted Dominick Reyes against Polish contender Jan Blachowicz.  Reyes had beaten Jones in many people’s eyes and was thought to be the future of the division without Jones in it.  Blachowicz had other plans however, as he outperformed Reyes en route to a knockout victory.  Jan was the first champion of the post-Jones era, but many saw him as a transitional champion given his age.

Jan’s first title defence came against Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, who many thought would become MMA’s next double champion and biggest star.  It was Blachowicz though, who would use his patient counter striking and wrestling to out-point "The Last Stylebender" and win a decision.  

Coming off the best win of his career, Blachowicz would face Glover Teixeira in his second defence.  The 42 year old Teixeira would give Jan everything he could handle through two rounds, finishing him by choke in just over seven minutes. Teixeira had finally reached the top of the mountain a full seven years after Jones had beaten him.  

Whether it’s the all-time greats like Jones, or the massive pay-per-view stars like Liddell and Jackson, the Light Heavyweight Division has been home to some of the best MMA has had to offer.  Even as we move into a new era of contenders trying to make their name and build their legacy, the 205 pound division remains one of the best in the sport across multiple promotions.  Now just days away, UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka will set the stage for the future of the sport’s glamour division. 

The Rich History of the Light Heavyweight Division

UFC Vegas 56 featured a top 10 Heavyweight main event, with Alexander Volkov making a statement with a 1st round TKO win against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. 

![francis-ngannou_1x55ktv13g9mh1b8x9qhvv1033.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/b3ec1b8c-1180-4367-656a-d2383bddd900/pub "The current UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou is out of action due to an injury Credits to: Greg Baker-AFP/Getty Images")

The Heavyweight division is currently stuck in a logjam, with Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou sidelined with an injury until 2023. #1 ranked Stipe Miocic is rumored to fight Jon Jones for an interim title, though there is nothing confirmed as of yet. 

Elsewhere at the top of the heat, #4 ranked Curtis Blaydes will take on the surging Tom Aspinall, seated at #6 in the UFC rankings, this July in London, England. Come September in Paris, #2 contender Ciryl Gane faces off opposite the fan-friendly Tai Tuivasa. Still, there are a number of hot matches to make in this division, especially after the spectacle of this card.

## Alexander Volkov vs. Winner of Derrick Lewis/Sergei Pavlovich 

With so many matchups booked at the top of the division, there is not a single available opponent ranked above Volkov, forcing him to either fight a lower ranked opponent or wait on the sidelines. Fortunately for Volkov, there are a slew of bouts booked in the coming months, including Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 276 on July 2nd. Though Lewis has lost 2 consecutive fights, a rematch against Volkov will always be interesting to fans, as the Russian was dominating before being caught with a signature Lewis bomb with only a few seconds remaining in their fight. On the other hand, if Pavlovich defeats Lewis, a fight with the technical and experienced Volkov would be a perfect test for him as he looks to climb the division. Either way, Volkov needs another win to push himself into that top 5, as he was recently defeated by Tom Aspinall, who holds the slot ahead of him in the rankings.

## Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura

This loss was a tough one for Rozenstruik, who will see his losing skid extend to two, in addition to suffering the second (T)KO loss of his pro MMA career. Rozenstruik will be looking to rebound, and I would love to see the fight between him and Marcin Tybura rebooked. The pair were scheduled to match up in February and April, though the bout did not materialize. Tybura is also coming off of a loss to Volkov, though the Russian beat him in a decision.  It is a fantastic stylistic clash for each fighter, who each have the tools to test the other’s weaknesses. 

## Chris Daukaus vs. Alexandr Romanov

The #9 ranked Chris Daukaus is currently coming off of two straight knockout losses to Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes in his first two main events. He needa a step down from the top five in his next fight, and I like a match with Moldovan prospect Alexandr Romanov, who is ranked at #13. Romanov, while similarly experienced in the UFC, is on one of the hottest win streaks in the division right now, and certainly deserves a step up in competition. He is undefeated in his professional career and off five straight wins in the UFC, with all but one of his victories coming via stoppage.

## Blagoy Ivanov vs. Ilir Latifi

After nearly two years away from the Octagon, Blagoy Ivanov returned last month to capture a decision win over Marcos Regio de Lima. This stopped his two-fight losing streak and secured him the #15 ranking. Ivanov is immensely well-rounded with an insane durability, always driving the fight forward, though he is yet to find a UFC finish. Ilir Latifi moved up to Heavyweight with little immediate success, dropping a decision to Derrick Lewis. He righted himself in his next outing, taking home a close decision over Tanner Boser. Latifi is a freight train, with powerful takedowns and winging overhands, and a bout between these two granite-chinned fighters would be a excellent bout.

## Andrei Arlovski vs. Alexey Oleynik

Who doesn’t love a clash of veterans? Andrei Arlovski has spent the past few years proving that age is just a number after 23 years as a professional fighter. He is riding a four-fight win streak and has won six of his last seven, proving he still has what it takes to compete at a high level. Alexey Oleynik looked to be on the chopping block before he snatched up a neck crank submission in his last fight against Jared Vanderaa. Oleynik has some of the best grappling the division has to offer, and the comparable years on the clock make this a bout all fight fans will love!

As previously stated, we have three top five bouts set to go down at Heavyweight in the coming months, with the top of the division looking to all make their statement at the title. Stay tuned for news and analysis on all the upcoming events! 

Five Fights To Make Next in the UFC's Heavyweight Division

Verdict MMA

We're proud and exciting to announce the launch of our real-money Daily Fantasy Sports product, Verdict Tournaments. Fight fans will now be able to compete against each other for cash prizes.

Verdict MMA's CEO Sanjay Thakur's statement on the launch:


![Group 83.jpg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/50c49a9d-7cc2-4be0-a993-8fd1db47f000/public)

Verdict Tournaments is now live in select US States. You can join the action right now on our existing iOS and Android apps!

Announcing Verdict Tournaments

This weekend we get a Heavyweight headliner with the sharp striking veteran Alexander Volkov (-149)  going up against the hard-hitting kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+131). Before that, we see one of my favorite prospects to bet on over the last few years in Movsar Evloev (-385) taking on the durable and scrappy Dan "50k" Ige (+320) in a pivotal fight to watch at Featherweight as well as an exciting Flyweight in Jeff Molina (-172) getting a step up in competition against Zhalgas Zhumagulov (+155) earlier in this deep fight night card.

** All Odds Provided By Stake.com Accurate as of 6/1/22 2:30pm EST **

## Alexander Volkov -149 Jairzinho Rozenstruik +131

In our Heavyweight main event, we get what should be an enjoyable, striking match between two guys with plenty of experience. Volkov is coming off a tough loss to Aspinall, who proved to be on another level than many thought that night; however, looking back at his past UFC career, he has been a consistent tough competitor at Heavyweight for many years who has used sharp striking as his path to victory. Rozenstruik has had some impressive highlight KO's, but his performances have left much to be desired as he is often very low volume and relies on his power to get wins. 

Volkov should control every exchange they have as the only advantage I give Jairzinho is power, and I am willing to bet on Volkov to avoid that and do enough to either get a KO of his own or win every round. If you are on the Rozenstruik side, I would recommend playing him by KO/TKO at +205, as I believe this is his only path to victory. 

Pick: Volkov -149 
O/U: Over 3.5 -139 

## Dan Ige +320 Movsar Evloev -385

This is an excellent matchup as we see Evloev get a shot at a ranked opponent after his perfect run in the UFC thus far. Evloev has shown impressive wrestling ability to control all of his past opponents for relatively easy decision wins. Ige has impressed at times but has not demonstrated anything exceptional except his durability, and his ground game is perhaps his weakest aspect. 

As the line reflects, this is a nightmare matchup for Ige, but Evloev has won all of his past UFC fights by decision, and Ige has never been finished. With that, there is a straightforward way this fight is likely to play out, and that is Evloev winning a decision that provides a much more favorable price to the ML at -164 on Stake.com. 

Pick: Evloev -385
O/U: Over 2.5 -435

## Mike Trizano -222 Lucas Almeida +190

Here we get former TUF winner Mike Trizano taking on UFC newcomer Lucas Almeida in a Featherweight bout that should give us some good action. I believe Trizano is the much more skilled fighter in almost every aspect, and he should also have a cardio edge making him a well-justified favorite in this spot. Almeida has a very high finishing rate, and he is likely to need another if he is going to get the win here. 

With four of Trizano's five UFC appearances going the distance, I am willing to bet his path to victory is on the scorecards. However, his ML price is not far out of reach and could also be brought down by pairing him with one of the other justified favorites on this card. 

Pick: Trizano -222
O/U: Over 2.5 -208

## Poliana Botelho +102 Karine Silva -115

This is a close fight on the line, but I would favor the fighter with more UFC experience in Botelho. Silva has plenty of experience outside of the UFC; however, she has not fought near the same caliber of opponent as Botelho. Neither fighter stands out on tape to me, so I will avoid this fight to get a better read on where each woman stands in the division. 

This fight is very close, and it isn't easy to get a read on how well Silva will do in the UFC, so I will not be making a bet here, but I would take the underdog for my pick. 

Pick: Botelho +102
O/U: Over 2.5 -182

## Ode Osbourne -179 Zarrukh Adashev +155

Here we get a Flyweight matchup between two fighters who will be willing to stand across from each other and should have some fun exchanges. Osbourne's last win over Vergara has aged well after his previous performance and proves Osbourne is a tough fight for most in the division. Meanwhile, Adashev is coming off his first UFC win over Ryan Benoit after several tough outings where he could not translate his kickboxing experience to compete with more experienced MMA strikers. 

I like Osbourne here as he has a considerable reach advantage which we saw Adashev struggle with against Sumudaerji. I will be pairing him with Damon Jackson, who I believe is one of the safer favorites on the card, to get a near-even price and make a play on this fight. 

Pick: Osbourne -179
O/U: Over 2.5 -133 

## Alonzo Menifield -152 Askar Mozharov +135

This Lightheavyweight fight should not last long as both men swing hard with everything. Menifield should have some significant advantages here as he has shown flashes of dominance in his UFC run with an ability to finish fights in various ways. Mozharov has power, but he has demonstrated a weakness in the grappling department, and I have no faith in his cardio to get him to the final bell. 

Menifield should roll here in my mind, but he is a scary fighter to bet on after back-to-back lackluster showings, so I would much rather take a Menifield Round 1 prop at plus money or a good line on an Under. 

Pick: Menifield -152
O/U: Under 1.5 -204

## Felice Herrig -116 Karolina Kowalkiewicz +103

Here we get a rematch of a 2018 fight in which Kowalkiewicz won by decision. Neither woman has won a fight since; however, Kowalkiewicz has been more active, which, yes, means more losses, but I don't see why she is the underdog being younger, more active, and having the win over her. Herrig has only fought once since 2018, and it was a quick loss, meaning she has shown no improvement to suggest she is now more likely to win this fight than she was in their first fight. 

With all this, I will pick Kowalkiewicz, but I am not jumping at the chance to risk my money on a girl on a five-fight skid, nor am I willing to bet on her counterpart. This fight is one to remember; even if a line is a bit weird, there is no reason to risk your money on every fight; save it for another day. 

Pick: Kowalkiewicz +103
O/U: Over 2.5 -345

## Joe Solecki -167 Alex da Silva +146

Here we get a Lightweight matchup between two fighters looking to bounce back from losses. This fight will likely be decided on the mat as Joe Solecki has impressive ground skills and will probably look to get this one to the mat and keep it there. Alex da Silva has had a rather unimpressive UFC run to this point after getting caught in a submission in his UFC debut and now coming off a tough loss to Brad Riddell and his lone win coming in a spot as a big favorite.

I think this is a good spot for Solecki as I believe he will be able to implement his grappling and has a decent chance to sink in a submission at any point in the fight. 

Pick: Solecki -167
O/U: Under 2.5 +109 

## Damon Jackson -500* Daniel Argueta +350*

Damon Jackson has gotten a lot of attention this week, with his betting line soaring from around -280 to -600 at some books. I am kicking myself for not jumping that early line, as Jackson deserves the attention he has got with some impressive performances in his last few fights and a great matchup. Argueta is stepping up here as a natural Bantamweight, adding another factor against him in this tough short, notice matchup. 

The price on Jackson has become unplayable; however, he is likely the safest play on the card to use as a parlay piece and his price to get the win inside the distance is another good option.

Pick: Jackson -500*
O/U: Under 2.5 -138*

*Odds currently unavalible at Stake.com

## Benoit Saint-Denis -156 Niklas Stolze +138

I am surprised to see Saint-Denis in a favorite roll here as his last UFC performance was a very memorable beat down where he displayed little other than absurd toughness and his reliance on the takedown. Stolze can be taken down, but I have little faith in Saint-Denis to hold him there and submit him or win on control.

This will be a grappling vs. striking fight that I expect to go the distance which has led to some controversy, especially with the Verdict community going against the judges, so I will stay away from this one betting-wise. Still, I do believe Stolze will win this fight.  

Pick: Stolze +138
O/U: Over 2.5 +103 

## Tony Gravely -128 Johnny Munoz Jr +114

Here we get what should be a heavy grappling matchup between the very experienced Gravely and a newer Munoz Jr, who is coming off his first UFC win. Gravely will likely look to wrestle to get the win with control and ground and pound, but he will need to defend against submissions all fight and be very cautious of the submission. Munoz Jr is a credentialed submission artist who will likely be operating from the bottom in this fight with several chances to catch Gravely in a bad spot. 

This fight comes down to whether Munoz Jr can catch Gravely in a submission during one of the grappling exchanges. If he does not, I see Gravely taking home a decision; however, I believe Munoz Jr will get the sub. 

Pick: Munoz Jr +114
O/U: Under 2.5 -139

## Jeff Molina -172 Zhalgas Zhumagulov +150

This is a great matchup and a big one for both fighters at Flyweight as we see Molina get a step up in competition against a more battle-tested opponent in Zhumagulov. Molina has been on a great run and has looked better each time out, and I feel he is getting a perfect matchup at the right time to display his skill set. Zhumagulov has failed to reach expectations in his UFC run largely because of tough competition, but still, his only win comes in a spot where he was a significant favorite, and it is hard to back him in another tough spot. 

The ML price on Molina is a tough sell as it was at better odds earlier in the week, and the market has settled at this number; however, I have paired him with Blanchfield earlier on the card to bring his price down near even and make a play on Molina to win this fight. 

Pick: Molina -172
O/U: Over 2.5 -204

## Andreas Michailidas +235 Rinet Fakhredinov -270

Here we see UFC newcomer Fakhredinov come in a big favorite with an impressive record; however, once you look at that record, you see he has a recent win against a 3-3 fighter suggesting his competition is as low level as it could be to this point. Michailidas will be his toughest test by far as he has a solid amount of UFC experience, so I am not sure Fakhredinov justifies this price tag. 

I will be paying close attention here despite not making a play as we have little information about Fakhredinov, and this matchup should tell a lot about his skillset. 

Pick: Fakhredinov -270
O/U: Under 1.5 +119

## Erin Blanchfield -500 JJ Aldrich +400

Blanchfield comes into this one a big favorite, and for a good reason, as she is coming off a very impressive win over Miranda Maverick, which has put her in position as a top prospect for the Women's Flyweight division. Aldrich is coming in on a three-fight win streak of her own, but none were as impressive as Blanchfield's last win, and she has done little to impress before this run.

The price on Blanchfield is tough, but I am going to combine her with some more moderate favorites on the card to bring their price down, as I am very confident in her getting the job done to start the night. 

Pick: Blanchfield -500
O/U: Over 2.5 -294 

## DougLasVegasBets.net Official Plays

Straight Bets:
Volkov -149

Props:
Evloev By Decision -164 (Best Bet) 

Parlays:
Molina/Blanchfield -112
Osbourne/Jackson  -115