Following three successful fight cards in Florida, the folks in Las Vegas put their heads together and decided maybe it was a good idea to bring the UFC back to its home base. And that’s exactly what happened with the approval of the next two events. The first takes place Saturday, May 30, from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 11-bout UFC Fight Night card is headlined by a welterweight tussle between former champ Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (19-4-1) and Brazilian Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (18-3). Woodley hit the board as a prohibitive favorite at BookMaker.eu despite not entering the octagon since losing the title last March.
A battle of top-15 heavyweights serves as the co-main event as Blagoy Ivanov (18-3) dances with Augusto Sakai (14-1-1). The final bout of the six-fight prelim card has Katlyn Chookagian (13-3) facing another Shevchenko. Chookagian lost a flyweight title bout to Valentina in February and looks to bounce back against older sister Antonina Shevchenko (8-1) on Saturday night. The prelims get started at 6 p.m. ET with the main card at 9 p.m. ET. All fights can be seen on ESPN.
BookMaker.eu is offering odds for every fight on Saturday’s ticket. Check for the current odds when you’re ready to make a wager.
UFC Fight Night Odds at BookMaker.eu
Main Card
Gilbert Burns +154
Tyron Woodley -195
Over 4.5 Rounds +150, Under 4.5 Rounds -190
Augusto Sakai -120
Blagoy Ivanov -110
Over 2.5 Rounds -190, Under 2.5 Rounds +150
Spike Carlyle +115
Billy Quarantillo -145
Over 2.5 Rounds +124, Under 2.5 Rounds -155
Brok Weaver +254
Roosevelt Roberts -340
Over 2.5 Rounds -190, Under 2.5 Rounds +150
Hannah Cifers +307
Mackenzie Dern -425
Over 1.5 Rounds -165, Under 1.5 Rounds +131
Prelims
Katlyn Chookagian +115
Antonina Shevchenko -145
Over 2.5 Rounds -575, Under 2.5 Rounds +392
Klidson Abreu +102
Jamahal Hill -132
Over 2.5 Rounds -190, Under 2.5 Rounds +150
Brandon Royval +150
Tim Elliott -190
Over 2.5 Rounds -135, Under 2.5 Rounds +105
Louis Smolka +218
Casey Kenney -285
Over 2.5 Rounds -290, Under 2.5 Rounds +221
Vince Morales -116
Chris Gutierrez -114
Over 2.5 Rounds -325, Under 2.5 Rounds +244
Gabriel Green +254
Daniel Rodriguez -340
UFC Fight Night Best Bets
Gilbert Burns (18-3, 6 KOs, 8 SUBs) vs. Tyron Woodley (19-4-1, 7 KOs, 5 SUBs)
I’m not sure if Woodley was embarrassed by his last outing or the injuries he claimed to have were more significant than the public was led to believe. Either way, this will be The Chosen One’s first foray into the octagon since getting pummeled by Kamaru Usman in a title bout some 15 months ago. It’s hard to say Woodley’s days as a champion and a contender are over. He had a marvelous run prior to the Usman fight dispatching Robbie Lawler in a hurry to get the belt and successfully defending his title four times. Many wonder just how much Woodley has left after getting thoroughly beaten the last time out.
Be careful what you wish for. After knocking out Demian Maia in March, Burns called for a fight with Woodley. He got it. Burns is one of the hottest fighters on the circuit with five consecutive victories. And you know he studied how Usman dismantled Woodley last year. It was about a year ago when Burns moved up to 170 and he hasn’t looked back. Burns was able to escape danger on the ground against the grappler Maia and became a threat in the weight class with a KO victory.
UFC Odds Pick: Woodley / Decision
Brok Weaver (15-4, 2 KOs, 3 SUBs) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (9-1, 3 KOs, 4 SUBs)
Don’t expect an upset in this lightweight bout. Roberts is a rising star and bounced back from his only professional loss to beat Alexander Yakovlev last November. He still needs some seasoning to get set up with the big boys. Weaver has nothing to lose on Saturday and his aggressive approach will force Roberts into a style he’s not comfortable with. Both favor the clinch, but Roberts appears to be stronger with more leverage.
UFC Odds Pick: Roberts / Decision
Augusto Sakai (14-1-1, 11 KOs) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (18-3, 6 KOs, 6 SUBs)
As far as heavyweights go neither fighter is what you would call a heavy hitter. Ivanov is still finding his footing in UFC after proving everything he could outside the promotion. He was a contender in Bellator and heavyweight champ in the World Series of Fighting, so he is no slouch. He’s also coming off a tough loss to Derrick Lewis. Another relative newcomer to UFC, Sakai is undefeated with wins over Chase Sherman, Andrei Arlovski and Marcin Tybura. Sakai is the better fighter, but Ivanov can take punches and is a strong grappler. This figures to be a close fight, however Ivanov’s toughness is what separates him in this one.
UFC Odds Pick: Ivanov / TKO / 2nd Round
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
