UFC Vegas 34 main card preview & best bets – August 21, 2021

Mark Madsen clashes with Clay Guida this Saturday night in a lightweight bout that will serve as the co-main event of UFC Vegas 34. We’ll take a look at the Madsen vs Guida matchup as well as the other three matches on the main card leading up to the main event between Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

Lightweight: Mark Madsen (-160) vs Clay Guida (+140)

Mark Madsen (10-0-0) is undefeated through the first 10 fights of his MMA career including wins over Danillo Belluardo and Austin Hubbard thus far in the UFC. The former wrestler won the silver medal in 75 kg greco-roman wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Madsen will face his toughest MMA challenge to date in Clay Guida on Saturday.

Guida (36-20-0) will have a clear advantage in the experience department with a whopping 56 professional fights under his belt. The 39-year-old has been fighting in the UFC since 2006 but has recorded an underwhelming 7-9 record over his last 16 bouts. Look for Madsen to pass this test by taking this fight to the ground early and wrestling his way to a victory on points.

Heavyweight: Chase Sherman (-190) vs Parker Porter (+165)

Chase Sherman (15-7-0) had a streak of four straight knockout wins including one in his return to the UFC against Ike Villanueva snapped in his loss to Andrei Arlovski in April. Sherman is now just 3-6 in nine career UFC bouts. Parker Porter (11-6-0) lost his UFC debut to Chris Daukaus, but bounced back with a win over Josh Parisian in November.

Porter has had an inconsistent professional career and Sherman has the clear edge in power here. With that said, this price is way too high on someone who has had such little success at the UFC level. We’ll take a stab on Porter doing enough to find a win.

Lightweight: Austin Hubbard (-114) vs Vinc Pichel (-106)

Austin Hubbard (13-5-0) is 3-3 over his last six fights in the UFC since starting his career off with a 10-2 record. Vinc Pichel (13-2-0) has been held to just seven fights since 2012 due to injuries but is a respectable 6-1 over those bouts. This should be a fantastic fight as the betting odds suggest. We’ll go with Pichel to win this brawl at the judge’s table.

Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja (-170) vs Brandon Royval (+145)

Alexandre Pantoja (23-5-0) is 5-2 over his last seven fights, most recently defeating Manel Kape in February. Brandon Royval (12-5-0) was on a four-fight winning streak including a 2-0 start in the UFC before getting knocked out by Brandon Moreno last November. Pantoja is the superior striker, but Royval’s fantastic submission skills make him a threat to steal any fight with just one quick maneuver. Look for Royval to pick his spot and earn an upset via submission.

Bantamweight: Trevin Jones vs Saidyokub Kakhramonov

Trevin Jones (13-6-0) is on a three-fight winning streak that would be a four-fight winning streak if his UFC debut win knockout win over Timur Valiev hadn’t have been overturned after Jones tested positive for marijuana. Saidyokub Kakhramonov (8-2-0) is making his UFC debut coming off of back-to-back knockout wins of his own. Expect Jones to stay hot here with another knockout victory.