The UFC is heading to Shanghai, China, for Fight Night 257 this Saturday. This will be the first time the time change is truly going to affect the American fans, as the Prelims start at 3 AM and the Main card at 6 AM.
Still, we should have some fun fights to watch early in the morning or as a rewatch after. Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
We have a great fight here on the prelims between an experienced Vet in Charles Johnson and an up-and-coming prospect in Kavanagh. Kavanagh comes into this fight 2-0 in his young UFC career, but he has looked very solid in both of his wins. Johnson is a skilled veteran who is 6-5 in his UFC career, but 4-1 in his last 5, including a win over title contender Joshua Van.
This fight should be a stand-up battle as both of these guys rely heavily on their kickboxing. I think Johnson gives us great value here, though. He is coming off a tough Decision loss in his last fight, but he has shown us great success in fighting young prospects.
Kavanagh has the fewest number of fights of any of the prospects Johnson has fought, and I think experience will play a big role in this fight. I think Johnson wins this stand-up battle, and with his line, the value is great.
MY PICK: Charles Johnson +180
Both of these fighters have high-level knockout power, and I am expecting this fight to stay on the feet for the majority of the time. Sumudaerji is a Chinese fighter, so having the home stadium on his side will surely be a big help.
However, we have seen Borjas shine in the past as an underdog, winning his last fight as an underdog. Both men are coming into this one off of wins, but Borjas looked worlds better. Sumudaerji scraped by against an unproven Mitch Raposo while Borjas dominated and knocked down a solid Ronaldo Rodriguez.
I think Borjas is the quicker and more durable striker in this fight and will be able to avoid the one-shot KO power Sumudaerji has. Give me Borjas as the underdog again.
MY PICK: Kevin Borjas +145
This should be a fun main event as one of these guys is almost guaranteed to go to sleep. Zhang is going to have the stadium on his back as the main event in China, and with an opponent like Johnny Walker, there should be some fireworks.
Zhang is one of the hottest fighters in the game right now. He was 7-6 at one point, and has now ripped off 12 straight wins, including 3-straight first-round finishes in his UFC career. Walker is a veteran of the UFC, but we have seen him get KO’d many times and enters this fight on the heels of back-to-back KO losses.
I think Zhang is going to handle business in this one. Walker is a very unorthodox striker and presents major danger, but Zhang has shown himself to be solid wherever the fight may go.
We also know Walker has a weak jaw, and I think Zhang knows he can take advantage of that. Give me Zhang to KO Walker in the first round of the Main Event, really the only value to be had in this fight.
MY PICK: Mingyang Zhang KO/TKO in Round 1 -145