UFC Fight Night this weekend is a sneaky good card — both entertainment and betting-wise. This article is focused on the latter and we’ll be dishing out our three best UFC bets for Fight Night. We’re confident these plays will be profitable.
- What: UFC Fight Night
- When: Saturday, June 15
- Where: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira Betting Pick
This is a good main event. Good because both of these flyweights are on the ascend — albeit in different ways (more on that soon). The betting odds are close, but Tairo is favored on the moneyline over Perez. Here’s how the best UFC betting sites have it earmarked:
Taira is a red-hot prospect. Only 24 years young, Taira already has a 15-0 mark with 12 KO’s. And it’s not just wins in foreign, little-known promotions (he’s from Japan). The last five wins have been in the UFC. Taira is a well-rounded fighter. He’s a better grappler than striker, but he can stand up and let his hands go.
Then there’s Perez, who’s in the middle of a career renaissance of sorts. The one-time title challenger at heavyweight is coming off a short-notice step-in win over Matheus Nicolau in April (his first since 2020), which means it’s another quick turnaround here. Perez is good though, having fought the best this division has to offer in Alexandre Pantoja and Deiveson Figueiredo.
We honestly think Perez is worth a look here. He’s got the big-fight experience and is the better striker of the two. Plus, his betting line just feels juicy to us for a guy ranked No. 5 in the division — Taira is No. 13, by the way. We do buy the hype about Taira but this feels like too step of a jump in completion. Taira’s time will come, but not on this show. Taking the underdog makes sense here.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Antonio Trocoli Betting Pick
Don’t even think of putting a dollar on the moneyline. That’s because Aliskerov is a staggering -1200 moneyline favorite. Ain’t no money to be made on that unless you think Trocoli scores an upset (we do not believe that). Instead, we’re honing in on the Aliskerov-Trocoli over/under, which is as follows:
There’s really only one thing you need to know about Aliskerov — he’s from Dagestan. You can probably fill in the rest of the details based on that alone. Yes, he’s a crazy good grappler like other fighters from the region. Before joining the UFC, Aliskerov won championships in sambo so this guy’s the real deal. Not only that, but Aliskerov’s striking is respectable. In fact, he’s won his last two fights by knockdown, not submission.
Trocoli is a massive underdog, not only because Aliskerov’s own ability, but he’s also at a disadvantage here. It was only last week that he was put into this bout, replacing the injured Andre Munoz. That’s bad enough, but the other issue is Trocoli last fought on November 2021. He’s had a string of cancelled fights and USADA issues which has kept him out of making his UFC debut — yes, this will be his first octagon appearance.
We do see this fight going over though. There’s only one thing Trocoli has going for him, and that’s size. Get this, the guy is 6-foot-5 — a rarity in the middleweight division. We predict Aliskerov eventually gets him to tap out, but not right out of the gate. That size might lose a challenge early on before Aliskerov pulls away in the late second or third round.
Lucas Almeida vs. Timmy Cuamba Betting Pick
Rounding out of our UFC Fight Night picks is this featherweight clash. We’re excited for this matchup because both these guys are strikers and we expect fireworks. Here’s the latest Cuamba-Almeida betting odds:
Both fighters are coming off losses. For Almeida, it’s now two straight defeats — both by finish (submission and then a KO). He is 33 years old now so it’s fair to wonder if age is starting to catch up to him. Before those two results, he was 14-1 so this feels like a career-in-the-crossroads moment for Almeida.
Cuamba is 8-2 but is fresh off a split decision defeat to Bolaji Oki in his UFC debut (not counting the Contender’s Series). The thing about Cuamba is we’re not quite sure how good or not good he is. He’s only 25 years old, but he’s still adjusting to UFC-level competition.
Sort of like the main event, we think the underdog is a worthy play here. Almeida has far more big-fight experience than the favorite, and that could be enough to tilt the fight in his favor. Almeida’s big advantage in this fight is pace — his 5.05 strikes landed per minute is almost double of Cuamba at 2.53. We’re banking that level of activity is the difference-maker here.
How To Bet On UFC Fight Night?
For a one-stop shop for UFC Fight Night betting, we recommend one of the below bookies. These five are rated the highest in our newest sportsbook reviews. The high ratings are partly because they each offer a wide array of UFC betting types (moneyline, over/under, pros, etc.). That goes for this event or any other show the UFC puts on.
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