UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker odds, predictions: MMA insider releases surprising fight card picks

Former gentle heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos will take a step in the direction of incomes one other likelihood on the belt on Saturday when he faces rising contender Johnny Walker in the primary occasion of UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker in Las Vegas. The battle of ranked contenders tops the invoice from the Apex facility, with the primary UFC combat card scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Santos is a perennial contender who memorably pushed former champion Jon Jones all 5 rounds earlier than developing brief in a razor-thin resolution. He has since misplaced two different fights, however stays ranked No. 5 within the top-heavy division.

Santos is a -185 favourite (danger $185 to win $100), whereas Walker is obtainable at +165 within the newest Santos vs. Walker odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Earlier than locking in any MMA picks of your personal for UFC Struggle Night time, be sure to see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.

Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who faucets into his expertise on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a way that units him other than different MMA analysts. He began the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has proven a revenue yearly since.

With greater than 1,200 alternatives tracked by the third-party monitoring service Wager MMA, he has proven a ten p.c return on funding for his followers. In 2020, $100 bettors who tailed his picks have been up $9,200.

Simply final week at UFC 266, Gombas went 11-1 on his SportsLine alternatives to present $100 bettors a revenue of almost $1,000 in a single evening. Furthermore, he hit his prime 4 finest bets, together with calling a victory Alexander Volkanovski (-175) in opposition to Brian Ortega within the wild featherweight predominant occasion. A parlay of these alternatives paid 9-1. Anybody who has adopted him already has seen large returns.

Now, with UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker in sight, Gombas has studied the cardboard from prime to backside and launched his prime alternatives. A profitable parlay of these picks would pay higher than 10-1 and they can only be seen at SportsLine.

UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker preview

Gombas is aware of the primary occasion encompasses a conflict between a confirmed veteran in Santos and a heavy-handed prospect in Walker, who’s on the lookout for a signature UFC victory. The winner will be part of the tightly-bunched group of contenders behind champion Jan Blachowicz, who’s scheduled to face top-ranked contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in late October.

Santos (21-9) is a rugged and well-rounded Brazilian who memorably pushed Jones, the previous long-reigning champion, to the wire of their July 2019 title combat. His early strikes appeared to have an effect on Jones, who fought a lot of the means in a defensive posture. Jones received a break up resolution, however Santos memorably grew to become the primary opponent of Jones to win a scorecard in opposition to the champ.

Nonetheless, a number of accidents suffered in that combat precipitated Santos to take a 16-month absence from the cage. He returned final November and was submitted within the third spherical by Teixeira earlier than dropping a choice in March in opposition to Aleksandar Rakic, who’s now ranked third. A win on Saturday would seemingly vault the 37-year-old again into the title image, however a fourth consecutive loss will seemingly ship him into the dreaded realm of division gatekeeper.

Walker (18-5) made a rapid impression with MMA observers due to his knockout energy and charismatic character. He received his first three UFC fights by first-round knockout earlier than he was stopped by Corey Anderson, a former contender who’s now with Bellator.

The 29-year-old Brazilian then fell by resolution to No. 9-ranked Nikita Krylov earlier than rebounding with a first-round stoppage of Ryan Spann final September. You can only see who to back here.

UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker predictions

We’ll share one in all Gombas’ UFC Struggle Night time alternatives right here: He’s going with Jamie Mullarkey (+140) to upset Devonte Smith (-160) in a matchup of explosive light-weight prospects.

Smith (11-2) is a product of “Dana White’s Contender Sequence” who has gone 3-1 in 4 UFC appearances, with all his wins coming by stoppage. His final look in February resulted in a second-round stoppage of journeyman Justin Jaynes, who has since been launched by the promotion.

Smith is certain to face a more durable check in opposition to Mullarkey (13-4), who has gone 1-2 in three UFC outings however has confronted a stiffer stage of competitors. He earned his first win beneath the UFC banner with a first-round knockout of fellow prospect Khama Worthy in March.

“Mullarkey is hard, well-rounded and sturdy. If Smith cannot rating an early KO, I see this getting dicey for him late, given the cardio and grappling edge that Mullarkey has,” Gombas informed SportsLine.

How one can make UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker predictions

Gombas additionally has sturdy picks for Santos vs. Walker and different fights on the UFC Struggle Night time card. He is additionally backing one fighter to drag a large upset. In that combat, Gombas says, the road is totally off. These alternatives are solely out there at SportsLine.

Who wins Santos vs. Walker? And which fighter pulls off a large upset? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who’s up nearly $9,200 on MMA picks in the past year, and discover out.

UFC Struggle Night time: Santos vs. Walker odds

Thiago Santos (-185) vs. Johnny Walker (+165)
Kevin Holland (-150) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+130)
Niko Value (-140) vs. Alex Oliveira (+120)
Krzysztof Jotko (-165) vs. Misha Cirkunov (+145)
Aspen Ladd (-210) vs. Macy Chiasson (+180)
Joe Solecki (-145) vs. Jared Gordon (+125)
Alexander Hernandez (-500) vs. Mike Breeden (+400)
Casey O’Neill (-200) vs. Antonina Shevchenko (+175)
Karol Rosa (-335) vs. Bethe Correia (+275)
Devonte Smith (-160) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (+140)
Douglas Silva de Andrade (-230) vs. Gaetano Pirrello (+195)
Alejandro Perez (-220) vs. Johnny Eduardo (+190)
Stephanie Egger (-125) vs. Shanna Younger (+105)