We’re back from Las Vegas and UFC Vegas 80 to bring you a prediction and pick for the featured Prelim bout of the night, coming in the Light Heavyweight (205 lb) Division. Brazil’s Philipe Lins will square off against the always-exciting Ion Cutelaba of Moldova. Check out our UFC odds series for our Lins-Cutelaba prediction and pick.

Philipe Lins (17-5) has gone 3-2 in his UFC bouts since 2020. He’s a former Bellator fighter and 4-0 LFA prospect before joining the big show. After losing his first two UFC fights, Lins had a total of six consecutive cancelled bouts before finding his next opponent. From there, Lins has won his last three fights heading in and will have a ton of momentum for this bout. He stands 6’2″ with a 78-inch reach.

Ion Cutelaba (17-9-1) has gone 6-8-1 in his time with the UFC. He’s had an interesting run over the last seven fights, posting a 2-4-1 record. Cutelaba went on a rough three-fight losing streak that saw him fall to Ryan Spann, Johnny Walker, and Kennedy Nzechukwu. His last time out, he looked his best ever and finished Tanner Boser in the first round. He’ll try stringing together some wins as he faces Lins. Cutelaba stands 6’1″ with a 75-inch reach.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC Vegas 80 Odds: Philipe Lins-Ion Cutelaba Odds

Philipe Lins: +124

Ion Cutelaba: -160

Over 1.5 rounds: +120

Under 1.5 rounds: -154

How to Watch Philipe Lins vs. Ion Cutelaba

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+, Watch ESPN

Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/ 1:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)

*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Philipe Lins Will Win

Philipe Lins comes into this fight with a lot of momentum after notching wins over Marcin Prachnio, Ovince St. Preux, and Maxim Grishin. While he’s struggled at points, especially against Prachnio, Lins always manages to finish the fight strong and have his best moments in the final rounds. He’s got great cardio for someone his size and he’s willing to keep walking forward for all fifteen minutes. Lins also has a very solid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu background, so expect him to feel comfortable in the clinch and along the cage.

To win this fight, Philipe Lins will have to avoid another bad start and come out patient against Cutelaba. His opponent is known for his power in the first round, so it’ll be critical for Lins to gauge the distance and find his striking range throughout the first few minutes of this fight. If he can find a home in his jab and stick it each time Cutelaba tries closing the distance, he should be able to deter his opponent from any aggressive blitzes. Look for Lins to grab Cutelaba against the fence and work his elbows in the clinch.

Why Ion Cutelaba Will Win

There were a ton of questions for Ion Cutelaba heading into his last fight against Tanner Boser, but he was able to silence doubters quickly with his first-round knockout over his opponent moving down a weight class. Cutelaba clearly has the power in his hands to put down any fighter at Light Heavyweight, so it’ll be a matter of putting his defense together and not letting himself throw caution to the wind in the exchanges. If Cutelaba can stay patient and control his aggression, he’ll prove to be the more skillful fighter over Philipe Lins.

To this point, Philipe Lins has a 100% takedown defense rate, so Cutelaba may have to refrain from taking unnecessary shots and tiring himself out in the wrestling. If he can find the distance with his lead hand, Cutelaba could wait for an opening and fire away with his right hand. Expect him to have the more devastating shots, but it’ll be important for him to keep his guard up and wait for the right moments to counter.

Final Philipe Lins-Ion Cutelaba Prediction & Pick

This should be a very good fight with both guys looking their best at this point of their careers. Philipe Lins is on a three-fight winning streak, but it hasn’t come completely easy and he’s had trouble navigating some hard-hitting opponents. He’ll face a hard-hitter in Ion Cutelaba, so it’ll be interesting to see which fighter has the more sounds defense throughout this fight.

The first round of this fight is going to be extremely telling as to which way it may fall for the following rounds. If Lins can survive the first round and keep his output high for the rest of the fight, he should be able to do enough on the scorecards to control the pace here. However, look out for Cutelaba and his power during the first round – his hands will be flying wild and he could catch Lins with a perfect shot. For our prediction, we’ll take the under as both of these guys will be swinging hard from the beginning.

Final Philipe Lins-Ion Cutelaba Prediction & Pick: UNDER 1.5 Rounds (-154)