UFC Fight Night Betting Preview: Year of Alex Perez Set to Continue

Whether Alex Perez beats undefeated prospect Japanese Tatsuo Taira in a flyweight bout this Saturday at the UFC Apex is immaterial. Over the past six months, Perez has quickly restored his reputation as a contender in the division. MMAfighting latest news showed that Perez struggled with medical issues and was out for nearly two years before he lost to Mohammed Mokaev last December.

However, Perez pushed the highly-regarded Mokaev to the limit in a narrow decision loss. When Perez returned to fight Matheus Nicolau in April, he pulled off a mild surprise when he knocked out Nicolau, who is ranked in the top 10 of the division. Perez, a former title challenger, is now ranked as the No. 5 fighter in the division and will have to slow Taira down.

Taira, who is ranked 13th, has picked up five straight wins since joining the UFC to improve to 14-0. Taira has finished three of his five fights in the promotion. Perez is vulnerable to fighting strong grapplers.

While he showed improved defense against Mokaev, Nicolau didn’t try to test Perez on the ground. Expect Taira to try to push the pace on the canvas. 

Perez has the edge in striking, but this is a big opportunity for Taira. A win over a former title challenger, to go along with his undefeated record, would be an important moment to push Taira’s career forward. 

Bets to consider: Under 2.5 rounds, Taira by submission

Aliskerov Building Reputation for Exciting Fights

Ikram Aliskerov has found his life in the UFC to be an exciting one. Aliskerov earned his spot on the roster by picking up a submission by kimura in September 2022. Since then, Aliskerov has picked up consecutive first-round knockout wins over Warlley Alves and Phil Hawes. This weekend was supposed to be a step up in competition, but André Muniz was forced to pull out with a foot fracture.

Now, Aliskerov will face off with newcomer Antonio Trocoli. Trocoli will have a difficult transition to make the leap from the regional level to the UFC. He won his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, but had to forfeit the victory due to failing a test for nandrolone.

Trocoli will be happy to have another opportunity to fight in MMA’s top promotion. However, Trocoli will have a tough time fighting against another top-level fighter. Expect Aliskerov to force a finish in this fight.

Bets to consider: Under 1.5 rounds, Aliskerov by KO/TKO/DQ

Cuamba & Almeida Both Seeking Rebound

Lucas Almeida hasn’t found life in the UFC to be a lot of fun recently. Almeida had a dream debut, knocking out Michael Trizano in the third round back in June 2022. However, since then, Almeida has lost his next two fights by finish.

Most recently, Almeida lost by knockout to Andre Fili back in December. The best MMA news sites show that Timothy Cuamba, who is also coming off a loss, will be trying to establish himself within the organization. Cuamba has only fought once in the promotion so far, but he has some power in his hands. Four of Cuamba’s eight wins have come by KO.

Bets to consider: Fight to end inside the distance, Almeida by finish

Johns Hopes to Keep Up Strong Form

Miles Johns is on a three-fight unbeaten streak in the bantamweight division. Johns will have a challenging fight this weekend against Douglas Silva de Andrade. De Andrade has won 20 of his fights by knockout out of his 29 career victories.

Johns is more of a points fighter than de Andrade. Johns has seen eight of his 16 career fights go the distance. This will be a challenge for Johns to keep the explosive de Andrade away from him.

Johns is a well-rounded fighter and can cause problems for de Andrade. However, de Andrade’s power should carry the day in this fight.

Bets to consider: de Andrade by KO, fight to end inside the distance

Johnson is Ready to be On the Ground

Jose Johnson has found himself in some sticky situations since he found his way to the UFC. When Johnson debuted, he lost in rare fashion when he was locked up in a twister submission, he bounced back in his next fight with another submission victory. Johnson will have his hands full with Asu Almabayev this weekend.

Almabayev has proven throughout his career to be an effective grappler. He surprised many people by submitting veteran Ode Osbourne during his first fight in the UFC. Almayev didn’t pick up another finish in his second fight but showed he could also go the distance in a unanimous decision victory over C.J. Vergara.

With Johnson’s weaknesses, Almabayev should be able to find a way to wrap up his 10th career submission win.

Bets to consider: Almabayev by submission, Under 1.5 rounds

Armfield, Hiestand Both Seeking Third Straight Victory

Garrett Armfield is one of the fighters that MMA breaking news will show has learned well from adversity. When Armfield debuted in the UFC, he was submitted in the second round via an arm-triangle choke. Since then, Armfield has bounced back with consecutive victories.

Hiestand also lost his debut with the UFC. However, Hiestand has never been finished and lost via a split decision to Ricky Turcios. Hiestand is hoping to build some momentum after a knockout victory over Batgerel Danaa.

Bets to consider: Armfield moneyline

Here are some quick picks for other fights on the card not mentioned above:

• Flyweight, Jimmy Flick (+370) vs. Nate Maness (-485)
• Flyweight, Tagir Ulanbekov (-230) vs Joshua Van (+190)
• Welterweight, Josh Quinlan (-125) vs. Adam Fugitt (+105)
• Women’s flyweight, Carli Judice (+160) vs. Gabriella Fernandes
• Featherweight, Jeka Saragih (-355) vs. Westin Wilson (+280)
• Women’s strawweight, Josefine Lindgren Knutsson (-245) vs. Julia Polastri (+200)
• Featherweight, Melquizael Costa (-198) vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (+164)

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.