One organization that has been at the forefront of getting back to action during the pandemic is the UFC. They have already put on several events, using strict protocols and fighting in empty arenas, and the PPV numbers have shown just how keen we all were to see the UFC return. We will be back at it again this coming Saturday night in Las Vegas, with UFC Fight Night set to go off at the Apex. ESPN will once again be making the event available to fight fans, and it’s one that you will want to tune into, as we have a solid main card to watch. All told, there are 5 fights set to go on the main card, so let’s take a closer look at each along with their UFC odds.
UFC Fight Night: Eye Vs Calvillo
Jordan Espinosa (-162) Vs Mark De La Rosa (+132)
The main card begins with a bantamweight fight between a pair of evenly matched fighters. If you are looking for a toe to toe brawl, you may want to wait until the later fights on the card, as this one is almost certainly going to be a fight for grappling fans. Espinosa comes in as the favorite, sporting a 14-7 record, with half of those wins coming via submission. De La Rosa has won 55% of his 11 wins by submission, too, so we know what to expect here. I see this one going the distance, with Espinosa getting the nod.
Andre Fili (-229) Vs Charles Jourdain (+189)
Next up on the main card is a featherweight bout that sees Andre Fili in as the favorite. Fili is certainly the more experienced of the two fighters, coming into this one with a 20-7 career mark. Close to half of those wins have come via KO, so he certainly has some stopping power. The same can be said for Jourdain, though, as this is a fighter who has yet to go the distance, with 67% of his 11 wins coming via KO. It would be a surprise to see this one going the distance, so let’s go with Fili with the KO.
Merab Dvalisjvili (-383) Vs Ray Borg (+308)
This is another bantamweight bout that is almost certainly going to be won and lost on the mat, as these are two fighters who prefer to wrestle as opposed to duking it out. Dvalisjvili comes in with a record of 10-4 and a reputation for grinding out wins, with 67% of his wins coming by decision. Ray Borg, who has a 13-5 career mark is similar, but he does have a knack for getting submission wins. I don’t think he will get one here, though, as I like Dvalisjvili by UD.
Karl Roberson (+161) Vs Marvin Vettori (-121)
The penultimate fight of the night seems to be following a theme for the evening, which is that it would appear to be another grappling battle. That is certainly the direction that Vettori will be trying to go, as he has had the most success on the mat, winning 62% of his 13 career wins by submission. Roberson does have a little bit of power, but he can also mix things up a bit. This should be a very good fight, but I am leaning towards Vettori, although this one may go the distance.
Jessica Eye (-119) Vs Cynthia Calvillo (-111)
The headline event is a flyweight bout featuring a pair of women with their eye on a potential title shot. Jessica Eye could put herself in serious contention for a shot at Valentina Shevchenko with a win here, but this is not an easy bout. Eye comes into this one with a 15-7 career mark, with over 70% of her fights going the distance. Calvillo is 8-1-1 and beginning to make some noise in the division. This is an evenly matched battle, but I am going with Eye via UD.
