Best UFC Fight Night Bets: Yadong vs. Simon Picks

Another weekend, another UFC Fight Night card on Saturday, April 29. If you want to make some extra cash betting the card’s top fights, then keep on reading. We’re about to give you three UFC betting picks, including the main event between Song Yadong and Ricky Simon.

Yadong vs. Simon Betting Pick

A pair of rising bantamweights will close out the show at the UFC APEX facility. Yadong (19-7-1) is currently ranked No. 8 at 135 pounds, while Simon (20-3) is slightly behind at No. 10. Despite Simon being lower-ranked, he’s actually the slight betting favorite to win. Here’s how the most popular betting sites for UFC have the main event pegged:

Fighter
Ricky Simon	-115	-115	-115
Song Yadong	-105	-105	-105

We’re actually not surprised Simon is favored. Not if you look at his recent trend. The 30-year-old Simon has pulled off five consecutive wins, three of which by stoppage. Yadong tasted defeated last time out to Cory Sandhagen. The doctor called the fight in the fourth round. It was only Yadong’s second TKO/KO stoppage loss in his 28-fight professional career — that’s a lot of bouts for someone only 25 years old.

This fight should mostly take place standing up. Each guy loves striking (more so Yadong) evident by their significant strike numbers. Though, Yadong’s landed output, 4.55 per minute, is much higher than Simon’s 3.04. But with that said, Simon does have a takedown game that he can fall back on. His takedown average is 6.55 per 15 minutes (Yadong is only at 0.63).

One thing we have to mention is this fight originally wasn’t the main event. But due to cancellations, it is and cause of that, it’s now five rounds. That late change might favor Simon more as the grizzled veteran (though Yadong fought his first five-rounder last time out).

While Yadong is the more dangerous fighter of the two with stronger one-punch power, Simon is much more well-balanced due to his takedown and grappling offensive arsenal. In a five-round fight, Simon will wear down his opponent and lessen his KO potential. Our prediction is Simon gets the decision victory.

Ricky Simon to beat Song Yadong at UFC Fight Night

-115

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Caio Borralho vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk Betting Pick

Two middleweights trying to crack the rankings duke it out in the semi-main. Oleksiejczuk has won back-to-back fights — both by knockout. Borralho, on the other hand, has won five in a row. Matter of fact, he has only one career loss. So knowing that, it’s easy to extrapolate why Borralho is the clear-cut favorite to win on Saturday:

Fighter
Caio Borralho	-360	-360	-360
Michael Oleksiejczuk	+295	+295	+295

Borralho is Brazilian so you know he can grapple with the best of 'em. Whilst in the UFC, he’s averaging an impressive 2.36 takedowns per 15 minutes. While yes, Oleksiejczuk is a knockout artist, that’s not to say he can’t defend himself from getting taken down. A few fights ago, he outlasted a grappler in Shamil Gamzatov, who he knocked out in the first round. It remains Gamzatov's only career defeat so it’s nothing to look past.

We’re tempted to take Oleksiejczuk just because the odds feel so priced. We mean, this guy can end fights out of nowhere — 13 of 18 career victories are by KO. Still, we think Borralho is going to ground and pound him to death. “The Natural”, as he’s nicknamed, does have more raw skills, which should favor him to come out on top.

Caio Borralho to beat Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Fight Night

-360

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Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira Betting Pick

Here we have another middleweight clash between a pair of mid-aged fighters trying to establish themselves in the UFC. The 33-year-old Vieira didn’t start fighting until 2017, but he’s the comfortable favorite to win:

Fighter
Rodolfo Vieira	-240	-240	-240
Cody Brundage	+200	+200	+200

Vieira might have not been fighting MMA until 2017, but make no mistake, he was involved in combat sports. This guy, another Brazilian, is an expert in jiu-jitsu. He did a lot of grappling beforehand, representing Brazil on numerous occasions. Vieira has had a so-so tenure in UFC though, going 3-2 and losing the last time out.

Brundage also specializes in jiu-jitsu so you can almost guarantee this fight will be spent predominantly on the ground. He’s coming off a loss to the aforementioned Oleksiejczuk, who stopped him in late December 2022.

This fight is Vieira’s to lose. He’s the superior ground-game fighter, which should help him points off ground control time. That will give him plenty of points to get the decision win. It might be worth parlaying Vieira with Oleksiejczuk since both those lines are lopsided.

Rodolfo Vieira to beat Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night

-240

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How To Bet On UFC Fight Night?

There are a dozen or so fights to bet on at UFC Fight Night this weekend. We covered the three headliners, but plenty more of opportunities lie elsewhere. To get a one-stop shop for all these bets, hit one of the bookmakers we’ve listed in the table below.

Only the top-rated sites in our newest sportsbook review section are featured in the table — five of the "cream of the crop" spot to gamble on the UFC. Not only that, but each of these bookmakers offers numerous betting promotions worth hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play — money that can be spent to get UFC betting for free!