MMA returns to Las Vegas on Saturday night as UFC Fight Night will take place from UFC APEX. There are 11 bouts on the card, and you can catch the whole shebang on ESPN, starting at 6:00 pm Eastern time. The main event is a welterweight tilt between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns, and the co-headliner pits Blagoy Ivanov against Augusto Sakai in a heavyweight bout. We have the full card for you, along with our thoughts on some of the top bouts as you consider your online betting for the weekend. Let’s check the UFC Odds for this Fight Night.
UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns Odds & Preview (May 30)
UFC Fight Night Main Card (ESPN)
- Tyron Woodley (19-4-1) vs Gilbert Burns (18-3) (Welterweight)
- Blagoy Ivanov (18-3, 1 NC) vs Augusto Sakai (14-1-1) (Heavyweight)
- Billy Quarantillo (13-2) vs Spike Carlyle (9-1) (Catchweight – 150 lbs)
- Roosevelt Roberts (9-1) vs Brok Weaver (14-4) (Lightweight)
- Mackenzie Dern (7-1) vs Hannah Cifers (10-4) (Women’s Strawweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN)
- Katlyn Chookagian (13-3) vs Antonina Shevchenko (8-1) (Women’s Flyweight)
- Daniel Rodriguez (11-1) vs Gabe Green (9-2) (Welterweight)
- Jamahal Hill vs Klidson Farias de Abreu (15-4) (Light Heavyweight)
- Tim Elliott (15-10-1) vs Brandon Royval (10-4) (Flyweight)
- Louis Smolka (16-6) vs Casey Kenney (13-2-1) (Bantamweight)
- Chris Gutierrez (14-4, 1 NC) vs Vince Morales (9-4) (Featherweight)
Tyron Woodley (-185) vs Gilbert Burns (+160) gives us Woodley’s first definitive return to fighting after he lost his welterweight belt to Kamaru Usman. Woodley has put together some terrific fights, such as his first engagement with Stephen Thompson and his eradication of Darren Till. However, he has changed his style over time to become even more defensively oriented, which has led to a flat vibe. He will back up against the cage and try to lure his opponent into range of his right hand (which delivers a thunderous blow) or his strong wrestling game. However, Usman was not fazed by either approach, moving close enough to beat Woodley at his own wrestling game after eating some punishment that didn’t seem all that stringent. This bout will show us whether Woodley is trying a new approach or is remaining with the style that worked…until it didn’t.
Burns had a terrific 2019, defying expectations and becoming a contender in the UFC welterweight class. He was moving up the lightweight ranks in UFC until he decided to move to 170 pounds, and his career has skyrocketed since. He overwhelmed Alexey Kunchenko with his cardio over three rounds, and then about six weeks later he beat Gunnar Nelson. He became just the second person to finish Demian Maia, delivering a knockout after absorbing some punishment.
Woodley’s style likely needs major alterations in order for him to move forward, but if he can pin Burns against the fence, he might carry a few rounds. Burns has solid wrestling skills, but he is not close to Usman. Woodley brings a bare-bones style to his fighting, and it would take just one bomb to finish him, but I see him holding back here and getting enough points to win on the cards.
UFC Prediction: Woodley wins via decision
Blagoy Ivanov (-110) vs Augusto Sakai (-110) provides that rare, evenly matched fight in UFC. Ivanov put together a terrific run at Bellator MMA and then won the heavyweight crown in the World Series of Fighting. In his UFC debut, Ivanov took on Junior dos Santos. He lost but showed his toughness along the way. Ivanov showed a strong sambo background and counterstriking game. In Ivanov’s last fight, he lost to Derrick Lewis on the cards, but Ivanov has a lot of potential ahead of them as he is just 33.
Sakai is a fighter who has clung to the edges of the heavyweight contenders’ list. He joined UFC via a contract for the season of Dana White’s Contender Series that was filmed in Brazil. Despite his size and build, Sakai is extremely agile. He beat Chase Sherman and Andrei Arlovski before finishing Marcin Tybura in less than a minute.
Neither one of these men brings the bombs normally associated with a heavyweight, and both have iron chins and solid cardio endurance. Sakai has the quickness advantage and should have the higher punch volume. However, Ivanov has progressed in the area of countering hard and throwing combinations after his opponents attack. Ivanov is the better of the two when it comes to grappling. That slight edge makes me lean toward taking Ivanov to win.
UFC Prediction: Ivanov wins via decison
