UFC Vegas 74: Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi kicks off the prelims with a fight in the light heavyweight division between Philipe Lins and Maxim Grishin. Lins is riding a two-fight winning streak into this matchup meanwhile, this is Grishin's first fight in 15 months. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Lins-Grishin prediction and pick.

Philipe Lins (16-5) got the biggest win of his UFC career when he knocked out former light heavyweight contender Ovince St. Preux just 49 seconds into the first round. Lins will be looking to keep his momentum going in hopes of getting a ranking next to his name when he takes on Maxim Grishin this Saturday.

Maxim Grishin (32-9-2) is on the heels of a fairly easy win against William Knight his last time out back in February 2022. Since then he has had 3 fight cancellations en route to not competing for the latter portion of the last year and a half. He finally gets back in there against Lins who he was scheduled to fight back in October 2022.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC Las Vegas Odds: Philipe Lins-Maxim Grishin Odds

Philipe Lins: +114

Maxim Grishin: -146

Over 2.5 Rounds:

Under 2.5 Round:

UFC Las Vegas: How to Watch Philipe Lins vs. Maxim Grishin

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

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

Why Philipe Lins Will Win

Philipe Lins was the former PFL heavyweight champion back in 2018 but he eventually left the promotion for the UFC back in 2020. He is now 2-2 on the biggest stage and he has finally found his footing inside the octagon rattling off back-to-back wins.

He is a striker by trade with 9 of his 16 wins by knockout but he is also well-versed on the mat since he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He does have a significant speed advantage on the feet and as long as he stays out of the range of Grishim's power he can score the upset here making it 3 in a row.

Why Maxim Grishin Will Win

Maxim Grishin came into the UFC on an 18-1-2 run that pitted him against one of the heavyweight elites in Marcin Tybura which saw him lose a unanimous decision. Since moving back down to his normal weight class of light heavyweight, he has gone 2-1 and is looking for his first winning streak inside the octagon.

Grishin is very tall and long for the division and he utilizes his reach to his full advantage. He doesn't normally overwhelm his opponents but with his technical striking, he is able to hit his opponents without taking much damage. That is what will be his key to success for him to get his hand raised on Saturday night.

Final Philipe Lins-Maxim Grishin Prediction & Pick

This fight should be a relatively close striking match between these two light heavyweight contenders. What Lins has going for him is that he just seems to be the fresher fighter at this stage of their careers and Grishim is pushing 40 years old right now. If Lins can utilize his speed advantage and just pump out more volume than the low-volume Grishin he should be able to cruise to a unanimous decision victory.

Final Philipe Lins-Maxim Grishin Prediction & Pick: Philipe Lins (+114) / Over 2.5 Rounds