The UFC has been rolling with tons of great cards throughout 2025. Last weekend, we saw some good action with UFC on ESPN, and now we have another great Fight Night card going down in Des Moines, Iowa.
Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
I am excited to see how this one turns out between two guys very young in their UFC careers. Each man is just 1-0 in the UFC, but Loder is the champion of The Ultimate Fighter, so he has been in the fans' eyes for a bit longer. Both of these guys are very solid fighters, but Bekoev is a -410 favorite in this one.
Bekoev started his UFC career with a bang, winning by TKO in the first round. Bekoev is very dangerous, with 79% of his professional wins coming by finish. He also has many more fights than Loder at this point in their careers, which is always an advantage.
However, I think Loder is going to be able to keep this one close. He is an all-around solid fighter with a nasty ground and pound if he gets you on your back. I like Loder to make this one ugly and maybe win a round for us.
MY PICK: Ryan Loder +3.5 (+150)
As excited as I am for the main event, this tops it by far. Nickal is finally having his first real test against the former double-champ from ONE Championships. RDR is an amazing grappler, with 74% of his wins coming by submission. Nickal, as we all know, is one of the best pure wrestlers to ever enter the UFC. However, we will see if his style can match up with a far more experienced former Champ from a major organization.
It is a little bit wild to me, the odds on this fight. Nickal is sitting at -340 as a favorite against a guy who has beaten some very elite fighters. He may be a bit older now, but Nickal has never faced this level of competition so far.
I think Nickal can outwrestle RDR, but we will see if he can out-grapple him once they get to the ground. I love RDR to stop the hype train this weekend, and at these odds, its very hard to pass up. Like the last fight, I’m riding RDR +3.5. Even if he does lose, it will be a very close fight, and with plus odds, I can’t pass on it.
MY PICK: Reinier de Ridder +3.5 (+140)
Sandhagen is opening this fight as a HUGE favorite, currently sitting at -550. I can see why he is a favorite like that, but being a former champion, I thought Figgy would get a little more respect. However, he struggled against Petr Yan’s boxing last time out, and Sandhagen is sharp from standup. Either way, I think this is a fun one.
Sandhagen has been a top contender in the Bantamweight division for years now but has yet to get a title shot. He lost his last fight to Umar Nurmagomedov in a title eliminator, so he needs to get back on track in this one.
Figgy was the Champion at Flyweight back in 2023, but has since moved up to Bantamweight, where he took out some top guys. He beat Rob Font, Chito Vera, and Cody Garbrandt at Bantamweight before his loss to Petr Yan last time out. As solid as he has been, I am not sure he’ll be able to handle Sandhagen's length. Give me Cory to win by KO/TKO.
MY PICK: Cory Sandhagen by KO/TKO (+330)