UFC Vegas 83 Predictions: Song vs. Gutierrez Card, Picks, Odds & More

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08 December 2023

UFC Vegas 83 Predictions: Song vs. Gutierrez Card, Picks, Odds & More

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Sin City this weekend for UFC Vegas 83, which airs live from the Apex on Saturday, Dec. 9. While the upcoming show isn’t exactly a major pay-per-view event, it’s still shaping up to be a fun night filled with betting opportunities.

With 11 fights on the horizon, bettors can get intimidated when it comes to finding where to get in on the action. Fortunately, Betting News is here to make your life easier, pointing you in the best direction to make worthwhile MMA bets.

Continue reading to find out all of my UFC Vegas 83 predictions, as well as the latest betting odds, full card, and best picks to make.

UFC Vegas 83 Predictions: Main Card Odds & Picks

The UFC Vegas 83 odds are courtesy of Bovada as of Friday, Dec. 8 at 8:59 a.m.

UFC Fight Night Main Event: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez Prediction — Bantamweight

Song Yadong (+295)
Chris Gutierrez (-400)

The UFC Vegas 83 festivities are headlined by a bantamweight main event between Song Yadong (20-7-1, 1 NC) and Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2). Song has fought well with a 4-1 record in his last five fights while Gutierrez went 5-1 in his six previous outings.

As promising as Gutierrez has been, this is likely his toughest fight to date. Song is no slouch, proven by KO/TKO victories over Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and Julio Arce in his last four fights — which includes two ‘performance of the night’ showings.

It’ll be a competitive fight to begin, but I see Gutierrez breaking down the longer the fight goes on. Once the door is open, Song will finish off the competition, most likely winning this one inside the distance.

Song vs. Gutierrez Prediction: Song wins

Best Song vs. Gutierrez Bet: Song Inside the Distance (+100)

UFC Vegas 83 Co-Main Event: Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. Prediction — Light Heavyweight

Anthony Smith (+170)
Khalil Rountree Jr. (-205)

After back-to-back losses, Anthony Smith (37-18) finally returned to the win column with a split-decision win over Ryan Spann back in August. On the flip side, Khalil Rountree Jr. (12-5-, 1 NC) is gunning for his fifth straight when he steps foot in Las Vegas.

Even if he’s coming off a victory, Smith wasn’t that impressive in his latest outing, only controlling his fight with Spann for 56 seconds. He won’t have an easy time with Rountree, who’s knocked out three of his last four opponents by the time those fights were halfway over.

Rountree is aggressive and has a knack for finishing his opponents, so don’t be surprised if he knocks Smith out on Saturday. After all, the 35-year-old Texan has been knocked out 10 times throughout his 15-year career.

Smith vs. Rountree Prediction: Rountree wins

Best Smith vs. Rountree Bet: Rountree via KO/TKO (-125)

Tim Elliott vs. Su Mudaerji Prediction — Bantamweight

Tim Elliott (-140)
Su Mudaerji (+116)

After an impressive 4-1 run, Tim Elliott’s (19-13-1) luck came to an end with a submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 294. He’ll look to rebound against Su Mudaerji (16-5), who’s fighting for the first time since losing to Matt Schnell (via technical submission) back in July 2022.

Even though Elliotttook this fight at the last minute, he’s still my pick to win. He’s turned his career around as of late and has defeated opponents tougher than Mudaerji, who might have some cage rust. Elliott’s superior grappling should also help him wear down the “Tibetan Eagle” the longer the fight goes.

I actually don’t mind the moneyline odds for the favorite, which is why I’m comfortable with an outright bet as the best option.

Elliott vs. Mudaerji Prediction: Elliott wins

Best Elliott vs. Mudaerji Bet: Elliott ML (-140)

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey Prediction — Lightweight

Nasrat Haqparast (-193)
Jamie Mullarkey (+160)

Nasrat Haqparast (15-5) hasn’t been the most consistent fighter during his UFC tenure, but he is coming off back-to-back wins over John Makdessi and Landon Quinones. Having said that, he’d be wise not to underestimate Jamie Mullarkey (17-6), who’s 5-2 in his last seven outings.

Mullarkey is solid, but I don’t like the fact that he’s been TKO’d twice in his last five fights. He now must face Haqparast, who lands 5.73 significant strikes per minute with 44% accuracy and owns a 60.0% finish rate. If Mullarkey can’t defend his opponent’s striking early on, things could end quickly.

With that in mind, let’s take Haqparast to win this one via KO/TKO.

Haqparast vs. Mullarkey Prediction: Haqparast wins

Best Haqparast vs. Mullarkey Bet: Haqparast via KO/TKO (+300)

Jun Yong Park vs. Andre Muniz Prediction — Middleweight

Jun Yong Park (-182)
Andre Muniz (+153)

Jun Yong Park (17-5) is one of the hottest fighters ahead of UFC Vegas 83, having won each of his last four outings. The opposite could be said for Andre Muniz (23-6) after getting finished by Brendan Allen and Paul Craig in his latest two outings.

Park is a grappling machine, averaging 2.1 takedowns and 1.2 submissions per 15 minutes, playing a big role in submitting his last three opponents. That’s bad news for Muniz. “Sergipano” only owns a 35% takedown defense rate and struggled to get anything going against Allen when the latter turned to a wrestling-based attack.

I’ll cast a wide safety net here by taking Park to win via submission or decision due to Muniz only being finished once in his last 11 outings.

Park vs. Muniz Prediction: Park wins

Best Park vs. Muniz Bet: Park via Submission or Decision (+140)

Song Kenan vs. Kevin Jousset Prediction — Middleweight

Song Kenan (+135)
Kevin Jousset (-165)

Song Kenan (20-7) and Kevin Jousset (9-2) have a lot to prove at the Apex. Kenan is coming off a win but has been knocked out twice in his last three fights while Jousset is trying to extend his four-fighting victory streak after winning his UFC debut back in September.

Song is dangerous, but he also tends to crumble against legitimate opponents. Joussett still has much to prove, but he looked lethal in his last outing, landing 6.02 significant strikes per minute before submitting Kiefer Crosbie with 11 seconds left in Round 1.

While I do like Joussett slightly more, I’m taking a neutral approach by saying that the fight won’t go the distance. After all, four of Jousset’s last six fights reached the time limit while three of Song’s six previous outings did the same.

Song vs. Joussett Prediction: Joussett wins

Best Song vs. Joussett Bet: Fight to Go the Distance (-150)

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Now, back to the UFC Vegas 83 predictions…

UFC Vegas 83 Predictions: Prelims Picks & Odds

Park Hyun-sung vs. Shannon Ross Prediction — Flyweight

Park Hyun-sung (-600)
Shannon Ross (+425)

Park Hyun-sung (8-0) remained perfect through his UFC debut, submitting Seung Guk Choi with a rear-naked choke at Fight Night 218. He’ll look to keep the momentum going against Shannon Ross (12-8), who’s suffered three consecutive losses.

I wouldn’t overthink this fight at all. Park appears to be something special while Ross will likely be shown the door if he can’t turn things around soon. Considering how Ross has also been knocked out three fights in a row, expect Park to win via KO/TKO, too.

Park vs. Ross Prediction: Park wins

Best Park vs. Ross Bet: Park via KO/TKO (+110)

Steve Garcia vs. Melquizael Costa Prediction — Lightweight

Steve Garcia (+210)
Melquizael Costa (-260)

Steve Garcia (14-5) and Melquizael Costa (20-6) were supposed to fight in Austin last weekend until Costa pulled out due to an illness. Having said that, my prediction from last week is the same as it is this time around:

“Costa is dangerous when he’s on his game, but let’s not pretend like Garcia is some random person off the street. The 31-year-old has TKO’d six of his last eight opponents and isn’t afraid to throw barrages with the best of them. If he can establish his offense early on, he’ll take control of Costa for the rest of the way.

Considering how Costa still doesn’t have a ton of UFC experience under his belt, I like the value that comes with a Garcia upset.

Garcia vs. Costa Prediction: Garcia wins

Best Garcia vs. Costa Bet: Garcia ML (+210)

Luana Santos vs. Stephanie Egger Prediction — Women’s Bantamweight

Luana Santos (-155)
Stephanie Egger (+127)

Luana Santos (6-1) isn’t showing signs of slowing down, having won each of her last three outings. She now faces her toughest test yet in the form of Stephanie Egger (8-4). At the same time, Egger has been submitted twice in her three previous bouts.

Nevertheless, Egger does have more experience as a bantamweight and won’t go down easily. I could see both women grappling for the majority of this fight before, ultimately, needing the judges to help decide a winner. Keeping that in mind, taking the fight to go the distance seems like the best option here.

Santos vs. Egger Prediction: Egger wins

Best Santos vs. Egger Bet: Fight to Go the Distance (-125)

Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Hernandez Prediction — Flyweight

Tatsuro Taira (-650)
Carlos Hernandez (+420)

The undefeated Tatsuro Taira (14-0) aims to keep his streak going when he steps into the octagon with Carlos Hernandez (9-2). While upsets are a part of the sport, I don’t see one happening here — especially with how dominant Taira has been.

The Japanese phenom has better striking accuracy (69% vs. 49%) and absorbs fewer significant strikes per minute (1.26 vs. 4.41) than Hernandez while having the underdog beat in most grappling statistics. I expect to see a lot of wrestling between the two flyweights before Taira finds a way to win this one inside of the distance.

Taira vs. Hernandez Prediction: Taira wins

Best Taira vs. Hernandez Bet: Taira Inside the Distance (-135)

Rayanne dos Santos vs. Talita Alencar Prediction — Women’s Strawweight

Rayanne dos Santos (-165)
Talita Alencar (+136)

Former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Rayanne dos Santos (14-6) finally makes her debut at UFC Vegas 83. Her opponent is none other than the debuting Talita Alencar (4-0-1), who’s a former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion.

Dos Santos deserves to be the favorite due to her MMA experience, but chances are she won’t be able to outgrapple Alencar if this turns into a wrestling match. It’s truly a fight that could go either way, hence why I won’t be surprised if this reaches the round limit as well. It also helps that three of dos Santos’ last four fights went the distance while Alencar’s two most recent did the same.