UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Predictions, Best Bets, Odds
Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen - Bantamweight Division
The number-three ranked UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera will take on the number-five ranked Cory Sandhagen in this Saturday’s main event. For either fighter, a win this weekend could lead to a championship fight later this year.
The surging Marlon Vera has won his last four fights in a row. This winning streak includes a third-round knockout of former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and, most recently, a head-kick knockout of UFC legend Dominick Cruz last August.
Cory Sandhagen has had ups and downs since Aljamain Sterling snapped his seven-fight winning streak in 2020. He has gone just 3-2 since then but is coming off of an impressive doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Song Yadong that took place last September.
Sandhagen will stand three inches taller than Vera but it is the latter who will have a one-inch reach advantage.
Somewhat surprisingly, despite Vera’s striking prowess and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, it is Sandhagen who is listed as the -175 favorite in this bout.
Holly Holm vs Yana Santos - Women’s Bantamweight Division
Once an undefeated 10-0 UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Holly Holm has struggled since losing her title in 2016 and has consistently traded wins and losses.
Holm is just 2-2 in her last four fights. She is coming off of a split-decision loss to Ketlen Vieira last May after having won back-to-back decisions over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington.
Yana Santos (formerly Kunitskaya) has also gone 2-2 in her last four bouts. Like Holm, Santos also had a two-fight winning streak snapped in her most recent bout where she lost via first-round TKO to Irene Aldana at UFC 264 last July.
Both women stand at equal height. Holm will have the 1.5-inch reach advantage but Santos will have an eight-year advantage in youth. The former champion Holm stands as the -245 favorite.
With Holm being a former pro boxer and Santos holding a black belt in taekwondo, this is likely to be a superb stand-up striking battle.
Nate Landwehr vs Austin Lingo - Featherweight Division
Another taekwondo black belt on this card is Austin Lingo. His fight this Saturday will be his fourth in the UFC where, after losing his debut in 2020, he has now won back-to-back fights.
However, it should be noted that those wins both took place in 2021 and Lingo has not stepped into the octagon since, having pulled out of two bouts since and having one bout canceled.
Nate Landwehr has also won two fights in a row and, although his most recent win over David Onama took place last August, his win before that was in 2021, meaning that neither of these two fighters can be considered overly active.
Andrea Lee vs Maycee Barber - Women’s Flyweight Division
Once vying to be the youngest champion in UFC history, Maycee Barber suffered setbacks when she injured her knee in a fight against Roxanne Modafferi, which she ultimately lost. After a year hiatus, she returned to action but was defeated by Alexa Grasso at UFC 258.
However Barber seems to be back to form as she has won her last three fights in a row - most recently defeating former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye by unanimous decision at UFC 276 last July.
Despite holding a karate black belt and several brown belts, Andrea Lee is just 2-4 over her last six fights and is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Viviane Araujo that took place last May.
Chidi Njokuani vs Albert Duraev - Middleweight Division
In what will be just his third UFC fight, Albert Duraev will have his hands full with Chidi Njokuani - a fighter who will stand four inches taller and have a five-inch reach advantage over him.
Duraev won his UFC debut in 2021 but lost his bout against Joaquin Buckley in 2022 due to a doctor’s stoppage.
Holding a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Njokuani lost his most recent bout against Gregory Rodrigues via second-round TKO last September. But prior to the loss, Njokuani had won four straight - all by knockout or technical knockout.
