Also known as UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs Hermansson, UFC on ESPN+ 8 is set for Saturday night at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The main event features a middleweight fight between Ronaldo Souza and Jack Hermansson, while the co-main event pits former NFL player Greg Hardy against Dmitrii Smoliakov in a heavyweight bout. The main card will be available for viewing on ESPN+, with the preliminary card on ESPN and the early prelims on ESPN2. We have the full card for you along with some of our UFC sports betting thoughts about several of the donnybrooks.
UFC on ESPN+ 8 Odds, Predictions & Picks
Main Card (ESPN+)Whose side are you on? @JacareMMA or @JackTheJokerMMA? #UFCFtLauderdale
— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2019
- Ronaldo Souza vs Jack Hermansson (Middleweight)
- Greg Hardy vs Dmitrii Smoliakov (Heavyweight)
- Alex Oliveira vs Mike Perry (Welterweight)
- Glover Teixeira vs Ion Cutelaba (Light Heavyweight)
- John Lineker vs Cory Sandhagen (Bantamweight)
- Roosevelt Roberts vs Thomas Gifford (Lightweight)
- Ben Saunders vs Takashi Sato (Welterweight)
- Andrei Arlovski vs Augusto Sakai (Heavyweight)
- Carla Esparza vs Virna Jandiroba (Women’s Strawweight)
- Gilbert Burns vs Mike Davis (Lightweight)
- Jim Miller vs Jason Gonzalez (Lightweight)
- Angela Hill vs Jodie Esquibel (Women’s Strawweight)
- Court McGee vs Dhiego Lima (Welterweight)
Ronaldo Souza (26-6, -185) vs Jack Hermansson (19-4, +160)
- UFC on ESPN+ 8 Odds: Souza -200 / Hermansson +160
This fight would lead to a likely title bout for Souza if he can win. He has been right on the edge of contention when UFC brought the Strikeforce fighting contingent on board. He won five in a row to start his UFC but then a series of delayed title shots as a result of injuries to other fighters or other untimely losses, such as a close loss on the cards to Kelvin Gastelum last year. Now that he is approaching 40, Souza does not move at the same lightning speed, but he still has plenty of endurance, as he showed in a recent win over Chris Weidman.
Hermansson comes in as a late replacement, but he is no tomato can, as he picked up a huge win against David Branch on March 30. His early bouts in UFC were not promising, but in the last year or so, he has improved his ground game tremendously, so that he no longer has to rely on his powerful striking to deliver the knockout blow. In that win over Branch, he delivered a flash guillotine that few thought he could pull off. Hermansson will need to deliver a bomb or wear out Souza over the course of the fight. If Souza can work to the end, then he should be able to outperform Hermansson. Souza shows more determination on the ground, while Hermansson should have some more energy at least at first — but Souza should win.
Final Prediction: Souza wins via submission
Greg Hardy (3-1, -275) vs Dmitrii Smoliakov (9-2, +235)
- UFC on ESPN+ 8 Odds: Hardy -325 / Smoliakov +250
If it were not for Greg Hardy’s notoriety, it is unlikely that he would have returned for another UFC fight at all, let alone a co-main event. His domestic violence issues from his time in the NFL have made him a lightning rod, and the UFC has been willing to use that to make some money. In his debut in the promotion, he was booed loud and long — and he could not deal with Allen Crowder. He went hard for the knockout but could not deliver it. His cardio ran out, and all he could think to do was knee Crowder in the head, earning an instant disqualification.
Even so, he’s back in the Octagon against Smoliakov, who has also shown just about nothing in his two UFC fights. The way to beat Hardy is to stay back and make Hardy chase you around the Octagon. However, there is nothing to indicate that Smoliakov is that smart; his style is to charge forward, and that’s the type of fighter that Hardy demolished in his first fights.
Final Prediction: Hardy wins via knockout
