UFC Seattle betting preview & fight picks | February 22

Highly ranked middleweights Brendan Allen and Anthony Hernandez fill the co-main event slot for UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song in Seattle this Saturday night. Other highlights this stacked undercard include an intriguing matchup between Rob Font and Jean Matsumoto and a spicy featherweight contest between Jean Silva and Melsik Baghdasaryan. Read on for BettingSite.com.au’s fight previews and top tips.

Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong

Henry Cejudo will be looking to wind back the clock when he takes on Song Yadong in Sunday’s main event. The former dual-division champ comes in at long odds, but can he make a fool of the bookies? See our Cejudo vs Song betting preview here.

Brendan Allen vs Anthony Hernandez

Brendan Allen (24-6-0) is coming off a decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov, which is not bad form given Imavov is on an impressive winning run and recently knockout Israel Adesanya. Prior to that loss, Allen earned the nod with an unconvincing decision victory over Chris Curtis. This appears a challenging matchup against a more dynamic striker, and it is no surprise that Allen enters this bout at long odds with top online bookmakers.

Anthony Hernandez (13-2-0) enters this bout on a six-fight win streak that has catapulted him into the top 15 at middleweight. The 31-year-old has finished his last four fights inside the distance, scoring knockouts over Michael Pereira and Edmen Shahbazyan and submitting Roman Kopylov and Marc-Andre Barriault. The American is probably only one win away from entering title contention at 185 pounds, and this appears a good opportunity to press his case.

Anthony Hernandez by KO/TKO

+600 @ Nags.bet

Rob Font vs Jean Matsumoto

Rob Font (21-8-0) has three wins and four losses since 2021, although those defeats have come against the likes of Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera, and Deiveson Figueiredo. He will need to rally against a dangerous and hungry young opponent who is full of confidence and attempting to impose himself. The fight will take place at a catchweight of 140 pounds, which should assist Font’s struggles with the scales.

Jean Matsumoto (16-0-0) earned his UFC contract with a gritty performance on Dana White’s Contender Series and has since rattled off successive victories to stamp his arrival. The unbeaten Brazilian is a tight and technical striker with solid output and a dangerous ground game. UFC betting sites are expecting him to have too much vigour for a much more experienced opponent.

Jean Matsumoto by decision

+120 @ Nags.bet

Jean Silva vs Melsik Baghdasaryan

Jean Silva (14-2-0) is a devastating striker who has not tasted defeat since 2018. He most recently forced doctors to intervene when dominating Drew Dober in a standup war to continue an 11-fight win streak. The 28-year-old is still improving and has been installed as the shortest betting favourite on this main card. It is hard to imagine anyone besting him on the feet at this point, and he should be able to impose his game plan and emerge with another stoppage win.

Melsik Baghdasaryan (18-2-0) has three wins and a loss at UFC level, including a powerful head-kick knockout win on debut. The 33-year-old finished many of his early career opponents, but he might struggle to match Silva’s intensity and explosive power if this shapes as a pure stand-and-trade contest. Baghdasaryan’s best prospects appear to be contingent on staying elusive and landing shots from long range to earn the judges’ approval.

Jean Silva by KO/TKO

+110 @ Nags.bet

Alonzo Menifield vs Julius Walker

Alonzo Menifield (15-5-1) has dropped his last two fights, knocked out early on both occasions. The 37-year-old is a heavy striker with knockout power and will enjoy an experience advantage in this matchup, but he must be wary of rushing impatiently into danger in search of a big right hand. It is normally wise to bet against a fighter coming off successive knockout losses, and that might be the best course of action here.

Julius Walker (6-0-0) has an impressive record on the provincial MMA circuit but has not been tested against UFC-level opponents. The 25-year-old looks like a tall and rangy striker, and his longest fight to date ended early in the second round when he secured a submission win. He has four knockouts on his record and might turn out to be a worthy addition to the light heavyweight division if he can prevail on debut.

Julius Walker to win

+195 @ Nags.bet