Odds provided by Duelbits accurate as of 2/20/2025

Henry Cejudo +220 vs. Yadong Song -278

A pivotal matchup in the Bantamweight division goes down here in our main event. Henry Cejudo is a former Olympic wrestler who developed a unique striking style out of a karate stance, which he used to earn championships in both the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions, although he hasn't been consistently active since his retirement back in 2020. Yadong Song is a young boxer entering his prime, who has shown serious potential, with his last fight being a close decision loss to former champion Petr Yan, where he kept the boxing close and showed good defensive grappling skills.

I like this matchup for Song as I believe he has the grappling defense to keep this standing, where he will be landing more frequently with more power.

Prediction: Song by 3rd Round TKO

Brendan Allen +250 vs. Anthony Hernandez -323

Two top-tier Middleweight grapplers go head to head for the second time in their careers in this fun matchup. Brendan Allen is a highly skilled fighter with great submission skills and solid striking, what concerns me is his cardio looked bad against Nassourdine Imavov, and he has durability questions. Anthony Hernandez is a constant pressure grappler with insane cardio that he uses to drown opponents as he does damage and makes opponents work the entire fight.

I'll pick Hernandez to get another win over Allen, as I believe after the first round, he will be the one controlling the grappling and doing the damage.

Prediction: Hernandez by 3rd Round TKO

Rob Font +129 vs. Jean Matsumoto -159

A young prospect steps in to save a fight between these two Bantamweights, although it will take place at a Catchweight. Rob Font has hung around the top of the division with his tremendous high-volume boxing, although his durability is questionable, with him having been rocked badly when fighting hard hitters. Jean Matsumoto is an undefeated prospect with a few UFC wins under his belt, having shown his submission skills against Dan Argueta and then had a stand-up war with Brad Katona, showing his chin and pace, although he took a lot of damage.

I took Font as the underdog here despite his age concerns, as he will have a big advantage in the striking, and I don't see Matsumoto consistently wrestling enough to win.

Prediction: Font by Decision

Jean Silva -556 vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan +390

Featherweight strikers clash here in this must-see matchup. Jean Silva is a powerhouse striker who is coming off an impressive pair of wins over Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober, where he showed the dangerous power in his hands and much-improved cardio from earlier performances. Melsik Baghdasaryan is a very fast kickboxer with a good kicking game, although he hasn't shown much finishing or grappling ability in the UFC.

I'll pick Silva, but at this price, I can't even think about betting on him as this is going to be a striking match where Baghdasaryan has a real chance, but the power of Silva is going to cause more damage and lead to a decision win in my mind.

Prediction: Silva by Decision

Alonzo Menifield -238 vs. Julius Walker +190

Powerful Light Heavyweights collide in this one to open the main card. Alonzo Menifield is a strong and aggressive fighter with a well-rounded offensive attack, although his defense is a concern, with Carlos Ulberg and Azamat Murzakanov taking advantage of his aggression quickly. Julius Walker makes his UFC debut here, he is very inexperienced but is a solid athlete who has finished all six of his pro wins, having shown a decent ground game.

I'm going with Menifield here as he is the much more dangerous and experienced fighter who should have the advantage everywhere this fight goes.

Prediction: Menifield by 1st Round KO

Ion Cutelaba +147 vs. Ibo Aslan -182

Light Heavyweight finishers will square off in this very interesting matchup. Ion Cutelaba is a wildman with big swinging striking and a solid wrestling attack, but the defense has never been his strong suit. Ibo Aslan is a powerful knockout puncher who has yet to be tested against much real competition and has a questionable ground game.

I've got Cutelaba as the underdog here, as he has a few big advantages in this fight, mainly his experience and his grappling, which I believe will lead him to a victory. With that, Ion Cutelaba is my best bet of the week.

Prediction: Cutelaba by 2nd Round TKO (Best Bet)

Andre Fili -109 vs. Melquizael Costa -112

All action Featherweights square off here in the featured prelim. Andre Fili is a slick and battle-tested veteran with good boxing, but his consistency has been an issue. Melquizael Costa is a solid finisher both on the feet and on the mat, although his cardio is questionable, and he hasn't had much success against solid competition.

I lean toward Fili, as I think he is the better striker and wrestler with better cardio but his durability and lack of consistent ability to string wins together makes me hesitate.

Prediction: Fili by 3rd Round TKO

Nick Klein +700 vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik -1250

The highly anticipated debut of an exciting Middleweight prospect goes down here. Nick Klein is a solid grappler with a good submission game that he has used to finish his last three opponents, although he has yet to face any tough competition. Mansur Abdul-Malik is a very highly touted prospect who has shown thunderous power that he showed in his first-round debut knockout against Dusko Todorovic along with a strong ground game that he showed in his win on Dana White's Contender Series.

I see this being another quick finish for Abdul-Malik as he is just on another level to his opponent, as is reflected in the odds.

Prediction: Abdul-Malik by 1st Round KO

Ricky Simon +205 vs. Javid Basharat -256

Two high-level Bantamweight grapplers will test their skills against each other here. Ricky Simon is a gritty veteran wrestler who has competed with a lot of tough competition although he has struggled recently suffering three losses in a row. Javid Basharat is a skilled prospect with slick striking and solid grappling who looks to get back in the win column after a few rough results in his last few including a decision loss where he got off to a good start but failed to separate himself against Aiemann Zahabi.

I expect a very close fight here, but I lean slightly towards Basharat with him being the younger fighter who I see having the more effective striking at range.

Prediction: Basharat by Decision

Austin Vanderford +105 vs. Nikolay Veretennikov -128

A late addition to the card here features a new face at Welterweight. Austin Vanderford is a decently well-rounded fighter who makes his debut here on short notice coming from a long career in Bellator where he had fights with guys like Fabian Edwards and Gegard Mousasi. Nikolay Veretennikov is a tough striker with solid power coming off a loss where he showed heart against highly touted prospect Danny Barlow.

I'll pick Vanderford here as I give him the grappling edge here and I like that he has faced very tough competition outside of the UFC.

Prediction: Vanderford by Decision

Nursulton Ruziboev -286 vs. Eric McConico +220

Middleweight finishers square off here early on the card. Nursulton Ruziboev is a dangerous striker early in fights with solid wrestling although against Joaquin Buckley his cardio was a clear issue as he was getting beat up late. Eric McConico is a solid fighter with good experience on the regional scene, although he is now in his mid-thirties making his debut and we have seen him hurt and finished several times before.

Ruziboev likely gets another early finish here as McConico is making his debut later in his career and we have seen him hurt and finished by lower-level fighters.

Prediction: Ruziboev by 1st Round KO

Modestas Bukauskas -278 vs. Raffael Cerqueira +220

Light Heavyweight strikers kick things off in this fun matchup. Modestas Bukauskas is a solid kickboxer coming off a wild fight with Marcin Prachnio where he had to fight through some adversity to get a late submission win. Raffael Cerqueira was a dangerous and fast finisher on the regional scene but he is coming in off a disastrous debut where Ibo Aslan was able to unload on him without consequence.

I'm taking Bukauskas here as there is just no way I can pick Cerqueira after what we saw from him in his first UFC fight and Bukauskas is not an easy fight by any stretch.

Prediction: Bukauskas by 2nd Round TKO