UFC Fight Night main card betting preview & best bets – 26/3/23

UFC Fight Night heads to San Antonio, Texas, where 26 fighters will compete this weekend for a shot at a title fight. The main card is set for an explosive headline match between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen, while the rest of the bill looks to be just as exciting. Here are the betting predictions for the main card bouts, set to start at 10am AEDT this Sunday.

Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen

#3 Marlon Vera vs #5 Cory Sandhagen

Holly Holm vs Yana Santos

#3 Holly Holm vs #6 Yana Santos

The co-main event between ranked bantam-weight fighters #2 Holly Holm and #6 Yana Santos does not appear to be particularly exciting on paper, but it could be a watershed moment in the division. The Bantamweight division is still dominated by pound-for-pound champion Amanda Nunes, but if Yana Santos wins convincingly against Holly, she will be in strong contention for a title shot.

Ex-champion Holly Holm is a clear $1.39 favourite with online betting sites going into this fight.Coming off a controversial loss against current #4 Ketlen Vieira, Holly will be wanting to put on a strong performance that doesn’t end in a split decision.

With all the movement happening in the women’s bantamweight rankings it is likely you will see a trilogy match between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena, although there is fight currently locked in this would be the perfect time for Holly to make another run at the title. With a strong win here, she would have a strong case to be next in line.

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Yana Santos has been uninspiring since joining the UFC, with only four wins in seven fights since 2018.Coming off a bad KO loss back in 2021, everyone will be looking to see if the 33-year-old still has what it takes to be in the UFC.

Yana has lost all three of her fights by KO and won all four by decision, the most recent victory coming against Holly’s last opponent, Ketlen Vieira.

Holly’s skill level and being able to just pick apart opponents from a distance will be the deciding factor here. Although the $1.94 on offer for Holly Holm to win by decision appears to be the best bet, history shows that once Yana begins to take damage, it doesn’t take much for her to drop, so if Holly is looking to make a statement for a title shot, take the $4.90 on offer for the KO/TKO.

Nate Landwehr vs Austin Lingo

#15 Nate Landwehr vs Austin Lingo

The featherweight bout in the main card is set between ranked #15 Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo. Although Austin is looking to extend his two-fight winning streak and move into a ranked position, the betting sites favour Nate Landwehr to retain his ranking at $1.43.

Since joining the UFC, Nate Landwehr has slowly chipped away at his record, which stands at 3-2. Five round 2 KOs in his impressive 8 KOs in his professional career show that he can simply chip away at their confidence until they are defeated and does not necessarily have the explosive energy that most finishers have.

Austin Lingo, on the other hand, has five early finishes to his name, all of which have come in the first round, with three KOs and two submissions. Although that may be the case, since joining the UFC, we have only seen Lingo win by decision.

With Nate’s majority of losses coming by KO, if we saw the old Austin show up in this matchup, the $9.25 on off for a 1st round KO would be worth taking. However, the experience and reach will be a factor in this fight, which will see Nate Landwehr win by decision. Take the $3.25 on offer for Nate to win by decision.

Andrea Lee vs Maycee Barber

#11 Andrea Lee vs #13 Maycee Barber

Ranked #13 Maycee Barber looks to edge herself a little bit closer in the women’s flyweight division as she is set to take on #11 Andrea Lee.

Andrea Lee has had a difficult run of late, with only two of her last six fights seeing her hand raised.The clear advantage will be the 69.5-inch reach over Barbers 64.5 inch.

Emerging prospect Maycee Barber will look to continue her impressive record of nine wins to two losses since joining the promotion. The 24-year-old has already accomplished so much in her career and doesn’t look like she will be slowing down anytime soon.

Although there is a significant reach difference between these two ladies, Maycee’s stamina will be the deciding factor in this one. Andrea Lee has never been knocked out in her professional career, so take the $1.94 on offer for Maycee Barber to win by decision.

Alex Perez (24-7-0) vs Manel Kape (18-6-0)

#6 Alex Perez vs #9 Manel Kape

As Manel Kape tries to move up in his career, he will face former title contender Alex Perez in an exciting flyweight fight.

Manel Kape has prevailed in his last three contests. He defeated David Dvorak by decision in December after two bouts in 2022 were postponed. In the first round of the 2021 competition, Kape defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Ode’ Osbourne. After losing his first two bouts by decisions, these were his first victories in the UFC. In his 18 victories so far, Kape has completed 16 of them.

While Deiveson Figueiredo (for the flyweight championship) and Alexandre Pantoja both submitted Alex Perez in the first round, Perez will be looking to snap a two-fight losing streak. He is 6-3 and has four knockdown victories since entering the UFC through the Contender Series in 2017.

Take the safer bet in this one and accept the $3.45 on offer for Manel Kape to win by KO/TKO in round 1 or 2.

Chidi Njokuani (22-8-0) vs Albert Duraev (15-4-0)

Chidi Njokuani vs Albert Duraev

The middleweight match-up on the main card for the night is between a KO specialist Chidi Njokuani and a submission specialist Albert Duraev. With both fighters coming through the contender series and looking to rebound from their recent losses, this fight is sure to be entertaining.

Chidi Njokuani’s four-fight winning streak was snapped last year when he faced Gregory Rodrigues in a fight of the night clash.With an impressive nine first round KO’s it is clear he will not want to waste anytime once the bell rings.

Albert Duraev steps into the octagon as the current underdog with a 1-1 record since joining the UFC. Currently, Duraev has only ever lost by KO, which is concerning when he is set to go up against a heavy hitter like Chidi.

The deciding factor between both fighters will be if Albert Duraev can takedown Chidi and keep him there. The 75% takedown defence Chidi currently has is enough to put your money on him for a KO in round 1. Take the $3.75 on offer for Chidi Njokuani to win by KO in round 1.

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UFC Fight Night Main Card multi bet

Place these safer bets in a multi for $177.18 odds return:

• Njokuani by KO in Round 1 or 2
• Kape by KO in Round 1 or 2
• Barber by decision
• Landwehr by decision
• Holm to win
• Vera by KO or decision

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