UFC Vegas 119 main card predictions: Stirling favored over Cutelaba

Navajo Stirling is expected to handle Ion Cutelaba's chaos when the light heavyweights clash on Saturday's UFC Vegas 119 card at the Meta Apex, according to predictions from MMA Mania's Andrew Richardson.

Stirling opened as a substantial -330 favorite over Cutelaba, who sits at +240 despite coming off a win. The City Kickboxing product has gone 4-0 inside the Octagon using disciplined kickboxing and takedown defense, while Cutelaba remains hampered by decision-making lapses and conditioning issues at age 32. Richardson expects the Moldovan to find early wrestling success before fading against Stirling's rangy striking.

Featherweight matchups feature short-notice replacement

Andre Fili took a featherweight bout against Vinicius Oliveira on roughly two weeks notice, stepping in as the Las Vegas local looks to exploit Oliveira's move up from bantamweight. Richardson noted that Oliveira built his reputation by being "comically huge" for 135 pounds, an edge that disappears at featherweight against a taller opponent. Fili's counter striking and wrestling could neutralize the Brazilian's wild offense, though the short camp raises stamina questions over three rounds.

Christian Rodriguez meets Hyder Amil in a striker-versus-striker clash, with Rodriguez installed as a -162 favorite despite dropping two straight. The 36-year-old Amil carries knockout power but struggled with wrestling in his last outing, a wrinkle that favors Rodriguez's grappling base. Richardson expects Rodriguez's consistency and jab to wear down Amil's early explosiveness.

Flyweight Andre Lima faces Kevin Borjas as a massive -770 favorite, though Lima has not fought in over a year. The 27-year-old Brazilian remains undefeated in four UFC appearances behind sharp Muay Thai, while Borjas has dropped two straight and struggled to open up his offense. The main event pits Kyoji Horiguchi against Manel Kape in a title eliminator Saturday night.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — UFC Vegas 119 main card odds, breakdowns and predictions | X-Factor