UFC Fight Night predictions: Vegas 118 full card picks, best bets
One week before the biggest event in UFC history, we have a low-key fight night sandwiched between the NBA Finals.On Saturday night, the UFC hosts a 12-fight card at the APEX center headlined by former middleweight champion Belel Muhammad.Most of these fights are coin flips to go the distance, with half the fights priced between -140 and +120 to do so.
Below, we break down two of the more interesting fights and pick the entire Fight Night card.The former middleweight champion, Belal Muhammad, is on a two-fight skid, having lost two straight.His loss to Ian Machado Garry wasn’t a bad accounting by any means, but his loss to Jack Della Maddalena looks much worse now in hindsight.Muhammad is 37, so he’s hitting the end of his athletic prime, if he hasn’t surpassed it completely.Gabriel Bonfim isn’t my favorite prospect by any means, but he’s 28 and a proactive grappler with solid striking.This fight could get dicey for Bonfim if it stretches into the later rounds, as Muhammad has some of the better cardio in the sport.Really, it comes down to whether Muhammad is completely washed or not.Bonfim is the bet at +106, but if this continues trending towards him at -110, this fight is a pass.THE PLAY: Bonfim ML (+106, BetRivers)Six years ago, Edmen Shahbazyan was one of the youngest fighters in the UFC and starred in a main event in his early 20s against Derek Brunson.Shahbazyan was undefeated fighting under the tutelage of Ronda Rousey, but five losses in seven fights severely hurt his stock.The talent has always been there; he was just a bit too much of a wild man in his younger years.He’s won three straight bouts and two by knockout.
All of a sudden, he’s trending up to becoming the star the UFC dreamed he would be.This is a setup spot in a co-main event against Brendan Allen, who is more or less the gatekeeper of the UFC middleweight division.Shahbazyan is now training at Xtreme Couture, one of the best MMA camps, and he appears to be improving rapidly.Bre...