The UFC heads to the Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend for a card headlined by two Bantamweights on the rise in Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez. In the co-main, Anthony Smith takes on Khalil Rountree and Nasrat Haqparast and Jamie Mullarkey go toe-to-toe in a Lightweight clash sure to provide its fair share of entertainment. We look at my best bets on the card below.
UFC Fight Night Betting Tips
Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez
Both Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez are surging towards a title shot and while they are both still a couple of wins away from getting that chance, this is a must-win fight for both men. Yadong holds wins over Ricky Simon, Marlon Vera, and Marlon Moraes, and his only recent loss was at the hands of Cory Sandhagen. He was outworked in that loss to Sandhagen but away from that defeat, he is looking increasingly like a serious title threat, with explosive striking and strong wrestling.
Gutierrez on the other hand burst onto the scene in 2018 and has had a bit of a reality check in 2023. His kicking game is incredibly strong and he realistically could tear up Yadong’s calves and wear him down over five rounds. However, his lacklustre performance against Alatengheili has me seriously concerned as on paper that should have been a walk in the park. I believe Song will be the busier of the two here and Gutierrez can become gun-shy when he gets touched up a bit and that is a recipe for disaster against Song. After a competitive opening round, I expect Song to pull clear and get a relatively comfortable decision win.
Song Yadong to win by decision
$2.80 (2.5 Units)
Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree
Both Anthony Smith and Khalil Rountree on their respective days are a nightmare for anyone at Light Heavyweight but among glimpses of immense talent and raw ability both have shown many moments of fragility. Rountree comes into this fight on a good run, winning his last four bouts, three by knockout. Smith has become somewhat of a gatekeeper at Light Heavyweight walking through punches of lesser men to bury them beneath an avalanche of strikes, yet has also fallen in one-sided dominations to the likes of Glover Texeira and Magomed Ankalaev.
I was originally going to leave this fight alone but I have seen enough improvements in Rountree to believe he can use his lateral movement and takedown defence to frustrate Smith before crumbling him to the floor with a brutal hook or knee up the middle.
Khalil Rountree by knockout
$1.91 (2 Units)
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Give me Jamie Mullarkey as an underdog in this fight any day and I will run laughing to the bank. The Aussie is a smart fighter who has excellent kickboxing. He has a tendency to overextend on his punches though which has left him open to be countered and put away, which admittedly is of some concern, but I do not rate his opponent Nasrat Haqparast too highly so it is a gamble I am willing to take.
The German is a power puncher who has shown that he can bully fringe UFC fighters up against the cage before teeing off on them but he won’t have the same luxury in this fight. I do not see him being able to take Mullarkey down or be able to lure him into a brawl and if he is unable to do either I do not see a route to victory for him. Much like in the fight against Bobby Green, I see Haqparast being picked apart from range en route to a one-sided decision.
Jamie Mullarkey to win
$2.70 (3 Units)
