In the UFC’s first double-title card of the year, we’ll see championship fights in the smallest and largest of the men’s divisions.
The flyweight matchup is one we’ve seen twice before, while the heavyweight fight is a showdown we could see coming from the moment Ciryl Gane burst onto the UFC scene.
But there’s another fight further down the card Saturday night that could provide a safer value play.
Preliminary card (middleweights)
Rodolfo Vieira (-275) vs. Wellington Turman (+ 230)
When two Brazilian grapplers face off, it’s always possible their styles will cancel each other out and force a striking war. But few fighters are as focused on getting a fight to the mat as Rodolfo Vieira. The highly decorated grappler attempts takedowns at three times the average rate, and he lands them with above-average success. Those factors lead to Vieira spending more than a third of his fight time on the ground and in control.