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The time has come and UFC Vegas 77: Holm vs. Silva is finally here! The fighters are weighed-in and ready to go ahead of Saturday’s fight card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The Main Card action begins at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT as the fight card will see 13 total bouts. Check out our UFC odds series for our UFC Vegas 77 best underdog picks.
The Main Event is set to feature No. 3 Women’s Bantamweight Holly Holm as she comes in off a dominant performance over Yana Santos. It’ll be her second-consecutive main event spot as she welcomes No. 10 ranked Mayra Bueno Silva to her first. Silva is looking for her fourth consecutive win inside the octagon and will hope to add another submission win to her impressive resume.
The Co-Main Event has been switched up and will now feature No. 14 ranked Welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena. Maddalena was originally set to face off against Josiah Harrell at UFC 290, but a mideical issue forced the bout to be pulled last-minute. Maddalena cancelled his flight home and remained in Vegas, now slated to fight Bassil Hafez on short notice. Hafez comes in as an 8-3-1 prospect and will have a chance to shock the world with an upset.
After the action-packed card at UFC 290, fans may be disappointed to see a drop in the level of competition on this fight card. Nevertheless, the betting lines are actually closer on this card than last week’s, opening up opportunities for some serious value plays. Let’s take a look at our favorite underdog picks for UFC Vegas 77.
UFC Odds courtesy of FanDuel.com
UFC Vegas 77 Best Underdog Picks
Carl Deaton III (+154) vs. Alex Munoz
Usually coming in as the older fighter, Deaton will have a chance against someone his own age on Saturday night. He stepped in on short notice and was outmatched by a much stronger Joe Solecki in his debut. Deaton showed toughness and resiliency through the loss, leaving room for improvement if he could see a full camp before his fight. He’ll get exactly that here and could stick around long enough in this fight with his chin. Munoz is a fresh prospect with not much under his belt, so look for Deaton to pull out some sneaky moves in this one. If he’s patient, he could cash in as an underdog early in the card.
Istela Nunes (+164) vs. Victoria Dudakova
Istela Nunes hasn’t looked good in her UFC bouts by any means, but that’s not to say she’s gone without her moments. She’s shown glimpses of crisp striking in the center of the octagon, but often fails to sustain any sort of offense when she’s challenged. Still, she was able to hurt an opponent like Yazmin Jauregui and has seen much tougher competition than Dudakova. The issue here is that Dudakova is coming off major knee rehab and will be shaky to back in a betting spot. Nunes could exploit the knee and cause damage to her early. Dudakova also has a slower fighting style, so she may be looking to get this one to the mat early. This isn’t a backing of Istela Nunes as much as it is a fade of Dudakova and the layoff from injury.
Terrance McKinney (+124) vs. Nazim Sadykhov
A lot of people will be tuning in to see Terrance McKinney in action as he’s become one of the more popular young fighters coming up. He’s had a tough run as of late, however, and will be coming off a devastating KO-loss. McKinney may have had a wake-up call in his last fight after being brutally knocked out, which could work in his favor if he’s willing to modify his game. He has a ton of technical skills but often throws caution to the wind when fighting. If he can hone his skills and slow the fight down for himself, he has all the tools to edge Sadykhov in this one. It’ll be a matter of McKinney’s mindset and whether he can take away any positives from his last loss. You have to like him here with the betting value.
Albert Duraev (+132) vs. Junyong Park
Many fans are still split on whether Duraev really beat Chidi Njokuani on the scorecards, but the fact remains that he was able to implement his game plan and dominate the wrestling in that fight. Duraev was fully aware of Njokuani’s striking advantage and made the conscious decision to keep their fight on the ground. He dominated the wrestling and was able to keep Njokuani on his back for most of the fight. Against Park, he’ll likely have to do the same as he’ll be outmatched on the feet once again. Park struggles off his back, so Duraev could see a ton of success if he’s willing to commit to a similar game plan once again. As the slight underdog, taking Duraev to win by decision may not be a bad bet.