UFC Vegas 74: Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi keeps it moving on the prelims with a fight in the bantamweight division between John Castaneda and Muin Gafurov. Casteneda was getting ready to fight Mateus Mendonca until he had to withdraw from the fight and then Gafurov stepped on two weeks' notice to take this opportunity. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Castaneda-Gafurov prediction and pick.

John Castaneda (19-6) is coming off a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Daniel Santos (who's also on this card). He is now 2-2 in the biggest promotion and is looking to right the ship and get back on track against promotional newcomer Muin Gafurov on Saturday night.

Muin Gafurov (18-4) would just be the 4th fighter in UFC history from Tajikistan as he makes his debut this Saturday. He tried his luck on Dana White's Contender Series but lost a close split decision as a sizable favorite. He has since gone two and captured the LFA's bantamweight championship with a knockout win over Diego Silva. He will be looking to keep that momentum going this weekend against John Castaneda.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC Las Vegas Odds: John Castaneda-Muin Gafurov Odds

John Castaneda: -144

Muin Gafurov: +118

Over 2.5 Rounds: -140

Under 2.5 Round: +110

UFC Las Vegas: How to Watch John Castaneda vs. Muin Gafurov

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 6:00 p.m. ET/ 3:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)

Why John Castaneda Will Win

John Castaneda has shown some glimpses of being a great fighter during his time in the UFC. He has some great output on the feet, has dynamite in his hands, and underrated grappling to go along with it. He also mixes things up quite well and he gets stronger the deeper the fight goes.

Knowing how he has great cardio and how it is hard for Gafurov to cut to 135 lbs, it could be to his advantage to drag Gafurov into deep waters and drown in the later rounds. As long as Castaneda makes Gafurov work early and not get clipped or finished in the process he can certainly get back on track here this weekend.

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Why Muin Gafurov Will Win

Muin Gafurov was once a bantamweight contender for ONE Championship before taking his talents to the Contender Series where he fell short. He has since rattled off two vicious knockout victories to claim the LFA bantamweight title and get his short-notice shot in the UFC. This debut is a long time coming as he has shown he has been UFC caliber even in the loss to Chad Anheliger.

He has shown the ability to finish his opponents anywhere the fight takes place. Of his 18 wins 17 have come inside the distance with 10 by knockout and 7 by submission. Also, Gafurov is quite durable never being finished in his professional career even going the distance with “Hands of Stone” John Lineker.

Final John Castaneda-Muin Gafurov Prediction & Pick

This is going to be a great fight between two high-octane bantamweight fighters. This has a legitimate chance to be over quite early if both fighters come out guns blazing like I expect them to do. Both should have their moments early but I don't think Castaneda will be able to take the power of Gafurov and he puts him out early in the first or second round and really put his name on the map for those that don't know him.

Final John Castaneda-Muin Gafurov Prediction & Pick: Muin Gafurov (+118) / Under 2.5 Rounds (+110)