UFC Vegas 93: Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira kicks off the prelims with a fight in the featherweight division between Melquizael Costa and Shayilan Neurdanbieke. Costa is now just 1-2 during his time with the UFC after he was finished brutally in the second round in his last fight meanwhile, Neurdanbieke will be making his first walk to the Octagon in 2024 as he's coming off a second finish knockout defeat in his last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Costa-Nuerdanbieke prediction and pick.

Melquizael Costa (20-7) had the daunting task of facing off against Thiago Moises up a weight class on short notice which ended badly as he was submitted in round two. Since his debut loss, Costa has gone 1-1 most recently getting brutally finished by Steve Garcia in round two. Now, Costa will be looking to get back on track when he takes on Shayilan Neurdanbieke this weekend at UFC Vegas 93.

Shayilan Neurdanbieke (39-11) is most known for the betting scandal that saw a heavy amount of bets come in on him last minute when he finished Darrick Minner less than 90 seconds into the fight. Since that win, he's lost his next fight to Steve Garcia who knocked him out in round 2 and hasn't fought in 14 months. Neurdanbieke will look to make up for lost time and get into the win column again when he faces off against Melquizael Costa this weekend at the UFC Apex.

Here are the UFC Vegas 93 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC Vegas 93 Odds: Melquizael Costa-Shayilan Nuerdanbieke Odds

Melquizael Costa: -187

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke: +162

Over 2.5 rounds: -135

Under 2.5 rounds: -105

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Why Melquizael Costa Will Win

Melquizael Costa came into his UFC career with a ton of experience but that wasn't enough to get past one of the division's best in Thiago Moises on short notice. However, he was able to finally get his first UFC victory when he outworked Austin Lingo over the course of 15 minutes. Now, Costa is coming off his second UFC defeat at the hands of Steve Garcia and is now looking to get himself back on track when he takes on Shayilan Nuerdenbieke this weekend at UFC Vegas 93.

Costa has a Muay Thai-based striking arsenal where he utilizes a ton of kicks, knees, and elbows as an arsenal of attack against his opposition. That will bode well in that match against a smaller foe Nuerdenbieke who will have trouble with his distance management trying to get through the kicks of Costa. If Costa can do his best to utilize his range and movement to keep off the cage he can pick apart Nuerdenbieke to get back on track this weekend at the UFC Apex.

Why Shayilan Nuerdanbieke Will Win

Shayilan Neurdanbieke is riding a brutal knockout loss coming into this fight this weekend. He was on a three-fight unbeaten streak coming into his last loss and now his UFC record sits at 3-2. Neurdanbieke will be making the walk for the first time in 14 months and the first of  2024 when he takes on Melquizael Costa this weekend.

Neurdanbieke does his best work when he's the aggressor, coming forward, and pushing the pace which is something he's going to need to do in this matchup. Costa uses a lot of kicks so the pressure of Neurdanbieke will help him crowd the space of those kicks. That is when he can start to land his heavy hooks and calf kicks as he looks to get into the clinch and take Costa down which has been his biggest weakness during his time in the UFC. If Neurdanbieke can maintain his cardio for all 15 minutes and take the fight to Costa he has the chance of getting back on track this weekend.

Final Melquizael Costa-Shayilan Nuerdanbieke Prediction & Pick

This should be a great scrap to kick off UFC Vegas 93. Both fighters are coming off losses at the hands of Steve Garcia and are looking to gain some momentum in their UFC careers with a win this weekend. In this matchup, Costa is going to have a sizable speed and cardio advantage especially if this fight stays on the feet however, Neurdanbieke is tough as nails and has the grappling to overwhelm Costa and make this a tough fight. Ultimately, it will be the speed and the striking arsenal of Costa that's going to cause problems for Neurdanbieke in this fight as Costa is able to keep this fight on the feet where he will outstrike Neurdanbieke to a wide decision victory.

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Final Melquizael Costa-Shayilan Nuerdanbieke Prediction & Pick: Melquizael Costa (-187), Over 2.5 Rounds (-135)