We are in for a fun night of fights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV. UFC Fight Night 254 is headlined by a rematch between Middleweight veterans Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. It should be an exciting card with some good action, so be ready to go.
Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
I am very intrigued by this fight, which is early on in the prelims. Hughes is a veteran in the UFC at this point but holds a weak 4-5 record so far. Now, she will be taking on up-and-coming Stephanie Luciano, who earned her UFC debut after competing in the Contender Series. In her debut fight, she defeated the same fighter she fought to a draw in her Contender Series matchup.
I think this fight will come down to cardio and grappling experience. Hughes by no means, is a mauler, but she has a ton of UFC experience and has showcased cardio and grappling ability in the past.
Meanwhile, Luciano is young and has yet to be tested in the grappling department. I think for the odds here, it is worth a flyer on the veteran to spoil Luciano’s sophomore fight, and I think a lot of people agree. Hughes opened at +250 and is now at +195.
MY PICK: Sam Hughes +195
Blackshear is a huge favorite in this fight, currently sitting at -450, so we won’t be betting on this fight straight up. There is still a ton of value here for what is almost certain to be an exciting fight. Blackshear is currently 3-3-1 in his UFC career, but all of his wins have come by finish.
Gibson, on the other hand, is coming into this fight off of back-to-back wins and has shown his skills are very well-rounded since his time on The Ultimate Fighter. I am betting this fight not to go the distance. Both of these guys have well-rounded skill sets, but I think Blackshear has an advantage wherever this fight goes.
Also, Gibson is a tough fighter with a solid ground game, so I think both of these guys will be eyeing subs. Blackshear has 10 subs in his 17 pro wins and finished 12 of those fights. Gibson has 13 finishes in his 22 pro wins, so we will be looking for this to be another for either side.
MY PICK: Fight to NOT go the Distance +125
This rematch should be an interesting one between two highly ranked Middleweight Veterans. Marvin Vettori has been a gatekeeper at Middleweight for the past couple of years, losing only to the best of the best in the division, including Isreal Adesanya in a title fight, Rob Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier.
However, Marvin has taken some time off, not fighting since his loss to Cannonier in June of 2023. Dolidze will surely be coming into this fight looking to avenge his loss to Vettori in early 2023. Dolidze had 3 fights in 2024, going 2-1 with back-to-back wins leading into this one. His more recent activity may give him a boost in this one.
In the first matchup between these two, Vettori dominated. He won the unanimous decision and landed 30 more significant strikes than Dolidze throughout the fight. Vettori is as tough as they come and is still only 31 years old.
Dolidze is currently 36, and this realistically could be his last run for a title shot before age starts to creep up on him. However, I think Vettori will return from his layoff looking fresh and show he is still a top contender in this division. Give me the Italian Dream in the Main Event!
MY PICK: Marvin Vettori -150