UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 odds, predictions: MMA expert reveals fight card picks, best bets

Alexa Grasso will make the first defense of her flyweight belt on Saturday against former longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2. The main UFC fight card is set for 10 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event is being billed as "Noche UFC" in celebration of Mexican Independence Day and the card features numerous Mexican fighters. Grasso is currently the only Mexican champion on the UFC roster, though Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez recently held UFC gold as well. Grasso won the title with an upset in March of Shevchenko, who asked for and received an immediate rematch.

Shevchenko is a -175 favorite (risk $175 to win $100), while Grasso comes back at +145 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 odds. In the co-main event, explosive welterweight prospects take the spotlight as Jack Della Maddalena (-150) meets Kevin Holland (+125). Before locking in any picks of your own for UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani. 

Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who profited more than $6,200 for $100 bettors in 2022. This includes a documented 24-14 record on his well-respected, two-leg parlays. Every pick was documented on his public Instagram account.

From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances. 

In his SportsLine debut for UFC 283 in January, Vithlani swept the main card and has been a consistent winner ever since. At UFC 292, he called the upset for underdog Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) in the bantamweight main event. Anyone who has followed Vithlani already has seen massive returns. 

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 on deck, Vithlani has scoured the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. Vithlani's UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 preview

Shevchenko (23-4) is one of the most accomplished fighters and dominant champions in the history of women's mixed martial arts. Prior to her upset loss to Grasso, the 35-year-old Russians fighter's two other UFC losses came to former two-division champion Amanda Nunes. 

She made a record seven successful title defenses after winning the belt in December 2018, and many observers believed Shevchenko was more likely to retire with her reign intact before she ever lost the title in the cage. 

But Grasso (16-3) changed all that when she earned the title bid on the strength of a four-fight winning streak and proceeded to pull off one of the biggest upsets in a women's title fight in recent memory.

Grasso split her first six UFC fights, all of which came at strawweight, but is undefeated since moving up a weight class and emerging as the division's dominant grappler. Shevchenko is a striker who won several exchanges on the feet in their first matchup, but Grasso got the fight to the mat and submitted a fatiguing Shevchenko late in the fourth round. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here. 

UFC Fight Night predictions

We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is siding Lupita Godinez (-425) to get her hand raised against Elise Reed (+330) in a women's strawweight matchup that will be the featured fight on the preliminary card. 

Godinez (10-3) is a versatile fighter who has emerged as a contender following a stretch in which she has won four of five fights. The 30-year-old Mexican's last performance resulted in a decision win over Emily Ducote in May. 

Reed (7-3) is primarily a striker who has split six UFC appearances since joining the promotion in July 2021. The 30-year-old Sacramento native is coming off a decision victory against Jinh Yu Frey in May. 

"Once she closes the distance and gets her hands on opponents, Godinez can go to her savvy grappling. Her trip takedowns against the fence are crafty, and her top pressure and control will be too much for Reed to deal with," Vithlani told SportsLine. See who else to back here. 

How to make UFC Fight Night picks

Vithlani has strong picks for Grasso vs. Shevchenko and other bouts on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter who "has explosive and rangy striking" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine. 

UFC Fight Night odds, fight card

See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, best bets here.Alexa Grasso (+145) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (-175)Kevin Holland (+125) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (-150)Raul Rosas Jr. (-700) vs. Terrance Mitchell (+500)Daniel Zellhuber (-270) vs. Christos Giagos (+220)Fernando Padilla (-250) vs. Kyle Nelson (+210)Lupita Godinez (-425) vs. Elise Reed (+330)Roman Kopylov (-355) vs. Josh Fremd (+280)Edgar Chairez (-250) vs. Daniel Lacerda (+210)Alex Reyes (+300) vs. Charlie Campbell (-380)

Tracy Cortez (-120) vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (+100)