UFC Betting and Props Predictions for Saturday Night
Story of the Card – UFC 255 is this Saturday night at the UFC Apex. We’ve got both 125 lb title’s on the line along with some fights that promise to be all action. For Men’s Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo takes on challenger Alex Perez. Will Figueiredo settle in for a long dominant reign behind his vicious knockout power or will Perez upset him and keep 125 an unsettled division?
In the women’s division Valentina Shevchenkos looks poised to continue her dominant run as the top female in the world not named Amanda Nunes, can Jennifer Maia upset her? Further down the card there’s some fun fights with longtime vet Tim Means taking on real life Florida Man Mike Perry in what should be a slugfest. Rising star Brandon Royval looks to keep his momentum going when he takes on Brandon Moreno.
UFC 255 Picks and Props
Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval
In this battle of the Brandon’s we’ve got two great flyweights looking to put themselves in position for the next title shot. Brandon Moreno last fought in March and had an impressive decision win over Jussier Formiga. Royval is coming off a dominant showing against Kai Kara France very recently and has sneakily become one of my favorite fighters to watch. Royval is tall for the division and uses it well throwing all sorts of strikes including some beautiful long knees en route to two super impressive victories. Royval also has a ton of momentum behind him but Moreno is a stud.
Anyone who knocks off Formiga has historically been ready for a title shot so I think Moreno is very much the real deal. As always at flyweight this should be a fun fight at a breakneck pace. I think both guys have very functional games but I like the value on Royval here. He seems to be improving at a rapid rate and I could see him catching Moreno with a beautiful knee. In a 50-50 fight I’ll take the value, give me Royval.
The Pick: Brandon Royval to win +155 at PointsBet
Number to know. 4 – Number of consecutive finishes for Royval, I love what I’ve seen from the guy and think this could easily be fight of the night.
Tim Means vs. Mike Perry
This should be a sneaky great fight. Mike Perry is fulfilling his destiny by becoming an all action fighter that seems to alternate wins and losses. Longtime veteran Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means is always dangerous and I see this one ending with a finish. Perry is an erratic guy, inside and outside the cage. Famously Perry’s last fight was cornered by his girlfriend and the guy is not big on strategy. However Perry did win that fight and he clearly is a talented guy who hits hard. Perry may very well never live up to his potential but he’s a dangerous guy in every fight.
Tim Means is another guy who has long been a great action fighter who seems to alternate wins and losses. Tim throws beautiful knees and elbows and has some great dirty boxing. I think this promises to be a firefight but I like Mean’s leaning on his veteran savvy to survive long enough and then pick apart Perry’s somewhat limited game.
Number to Know: 30. That’s the career wins for Tim Means. The Dirty Bird is a stud.
The Pick: Tim Means to win +116 at PointsBet
Valentina Shevchenko vs Jennifer Maia (Title Fight)
Our first title fight of the night! Jennifer Maia takes on Valentina Shevchenko. I’m not gonna lie to you I don’t think this will be a very competitive fight. Shevchenko is on a different level than any of the women in her division now that Nunes seems to have no interest in a trilogy fight. Maia is coming off an impressive victory over Joanne Calderwood but before that she lost to Katlyn Chookagian and nothing about her recent run indicates she’ll be able to touch Valentina. Shevchenko is an elite striker and honestly the UFC doesn’t have a ton of options for challengers for her. She’s essentially cleaning the division out and I think there’s no reason to think she’ll struggle with Maia. The odds on this will be crazy but maybe fold it into a parlay.
Number to Know: 10- Years since Valentina has lost to anyone besides Amanda Nunes. Her and Amanda are on a different level in this sport and I don’t think Maia will challenge her.
The Pick: Valentina Shevchenko to win -1800
Top Prop: Shevchenko by KO if you can find it.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Alex Perez
The main event and 2nd title fight of the evening will be Figueiredo’s first title defense since his vicious finish of Joseph Benavidez a few months ago. Alex Perez is filling in for Cody Garbrandt. Perez is a talented fighter but he didn’t exactly have an emphatic claim for the title shot and it feels like they had to find a challenger rather than Perez forcing them to make this fight. The odds are pretty wide for a title fight with Figueiredo as a -320 favorite. Honestly I think that’s an appropriate line.
Figueiredo is a physical beast and seems to hit harder than anyone else in the division. Joseph Benavidez is a super talented fighter and Figueiredo absolutely mauled him. I think Perez is a great fighter but I think Deiveson has the makings to be a longtime champ at 125 so I think he starts his reign off here with an impressive victory. If you can find the prop I’d take Figueiredo by knockout but either way I see him getting the W.
Number to Know: 0 – Number of times Figueiredo has been stopped in his MMA career. The guy is a physical savage and I think we see a great display here on Saturday.
The Pick: Deiveson Figueiredo to win -320.
Top Prop: Figueiredo to win by KO.
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