UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg continues on the main card with the featured bout in the light heavyweight division between Anthony Smith and Vitor Petrino. Smith is coming off a brutal knockout defeat in his last fight meanwhile, Petrino is still undefeated winning all 11 of his fights most recently coming off a dominant decision victory. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Smith-Petrino prediction and pick.

Anthony Smith (37-19) is at a crossroads in his career losing three out of his last four albeit to top-ranked opposition. However, Smith is not one to shy away from a challenge and he gets a big challenge this weekend when he looks to derail the hype train of the undefeated Vitro Petrino this weekend at UFC 301.

Vitor Petrino (11-0) secured his contract in the UFC after a brutal first-round knockout of Rodolfo Bellato on the Contender Series. He has since won all four of his fights inside the Octagon with his most recent victory coming against Tyson Pedro whom he dominated for a unanimous decision victory. Now, Petrino gets his toughest task to date when he looks to stay undefeated and get inside the top 15 when he takes on Anthony Smith this weekend at UFC 301.

Here are the UFC 301 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 301 Odds: Anthony Smith-Vitor Petrino Odds

Anthony Smith: +400

Vitor Petrino: -550

Over 1.5 rounds: -200

Under 1.5 rounds: +160

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Why Anthony Smith Will Win

Anthony Smith has hit a bit of a rough patch at this stage of his career losing three out of his last four fights with the sole win being a highly controversial split decision victory against Ryan Spann. If that judge's decision didn't go his way then he wouldn't have had a win since 2021. Now, Smith will look to turn back time and get back to the old Anthony Smith who was climbing the light heavyweight rankings when he faces off against the undefeated Vitor Petrino this weekend at UFC 301.

Smith may not be at his peak abilities anymore but he is still a tough fight for any up-and-coming contender even one as powerful as Petrino. He has the ability to land calf kicks to deter Petrino from just barreling forward and the grappling to make this the toughest fight in Petrino's career. As long as Smith can weather the early storm and get his grappling going he can drag Petrino into deep waters and potentially submit him or win the fight on the judge's scorecards in the end scoring the massive upset victory.

Why Vitor Petrino Will Win

Vitor Petrino has been a one-man wrecking machine since stepping foot inside the Apex for his shot on the Contender Series. His quick knockout of Rodolfo Bellato put his name on the mat and secured his spot on the UFC's light heavyweight roster. Since that Contender Series victory, he has won all four of his fights inside the Octagon with two of those coming by finish but he most recently dominated UFC light heavyweight veteran Tyson Pedro who called it quits after taking the loss. Now, Petrino will be looking to get inside the top 15 of the light heavyweight rankings when he takes on Anthony Smith this weekend at UFC 301.

Petrino looked to be just a knockout artist but his grappling seemed to be more impressive during his time in the UFC. We all know that he has one-punch knockout power but his ability to land takedowns and push a relentless pace has shown that he can make it far in this light heavyweight division. If Petrino can just avoid being put on his back he can run away with this fight as he should be the one landing the heavier shots on the feet and the one landing on top and a win here will push up the light heavyweight rankings.

Final Anthony Smith-Vitor Petrino Prediction & Pick

This should be a barnburner for however long it lasts between these two light heavyweight contenders. Smith is going to want to weather the early storm and drag Petrino into deep waters meanwhile Petrino is going to want to land heavy shots early and often to get Smith out of there. Ultimately, Smith has been talking about him being the only one willing to walk through the fire to fight Alex Pereira but it's hard to expect him to walk through the fire of Vitor Petrino and live to see the end of the fight and that's exactly the outcome as Petrino will be the one landing the heavier shots until Smith takes one too many and is finished midway through this fight giving Petrino his 12th consecutive victory.

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Final Anthony Smith-Vitor Petrino Prediction & Pick: Vitor Petrino (-550), Over 1.5 Rounds (-200)