The UFC is back on ESPN this weekend, and the fights will be going down in the UFC Apex. We have a fun card all the way through, and the main event is between two of the top contenders in the Women’s Flyweight division, Maycee Barber and Erin Blanchfield.
We should have some exciting fights in store. Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
This should be a fun one on the prelims. Gustafsson is making his UFC debut after an exciting KO win in the Contender Series. Giles, on the other hand, is a veteran of the UFC and has fought some of the best competition you can. He is coming into this fight on short notice and on the heels of a 3-fight skid, so his back is truly against the wall.
Giles has fought the best of the best in his career, including Dricus Du Plessis, Michael Morales, Mike Malott, and Carlos Prates. These fights were great experience, but he lost all of them and was KO’d in 3 of them.
Gustafsson is young and hungry, but I think he will struggle with the experienced Giles. However, I think Gustafsson gets the job done. 10 of his 11 pro wins have come by finish, and I think he will put the pressure on Giles, who didn’t have long to train for this fight.
MY PICK: Andreas Gustafsson by KO/TKO or Submission +130
This is going to be a very fun one. Klein is on the rise as a prospect in the UFC. He is 6-0-1 in his last 7 and is now finally getting a shot at a top contender. Gamrot has been a staple at the top of the lightweight division for a while now. He has fought and beaten the likes of Rafael Dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev, and Arman Tsarukyan. However, he is coming into this off a wild loss to Dan Hooker.
I think this fight comes down to Gamrot’s ability to control the grappling exchanges. He has extremely strong wrestling, and his cardio has been one of his greatest attributes throughout his career.
He is going to try to put Klein on his back and wear on him down as this fight progresses. Klein is a very strong counter-striker, but I don’t think he will be able to handle Gamrot’s constant wrestling. Give me Gamrot.
MY PICK: Mateusz Gamrot by Decision -120
This fight is likely a title eliminator with the winner set to take on the champ, Valentina Shevchenko. Both of these women have had very impressive UFC careers so far. Barber comes into this fight on a 6-fight win streak and has a total UFC record of 9-2.
Blanchfield is 7-1 in her UFC career, with her lone loss coming to Manon Fiorot, who just lost in a title fight. As impressive as these two have been, they are still young, with Barber being 27 and Blanchfield being 26.
This fight comes down to Barber’s ability to stay off the ground. Blanchfield is the superior grappler, and she is certainly going to try to get Barber on her back. However, if Barber can stay on her feet, I think she has a chance in this fight.
This is also a 5-round fight, something Barber has never experienced, so Blanchfield should have the advantage there. I think Blanchfield is going to get it done with the ground game, but this will certainly be a good fight.
MY PICK: Erin Blanchfield by Decision -115