Font vs Vera UFC betting picks & main event preview – April 30

Rob Font is set to meet Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC on ESPN 35 this Saturday night in Las Vegas. Both of these fighters are trying to crack into the top tier in the bantamweight division, and the winner of this fight will take a big step forward in doing so.

Rob Font record, form & results

Rob Font (19-5-0) had a four-match winning streak snapped in a decision loss to Jose Aldo back in December. Font entered that fight coming off of impressive wins via knockout over Marlon Moraes and via decision against Cody Garbrandt, and a win over Aldo may have elevated him into the conversation for a shot at the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Instead, he’ll need to start rebuilding his momentum with a win on Saturday against Vera.

Marlon Vera record, form & results

Marlon Vera (18-7-1) earned a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC 268 with his front kick knockout win over Frankie Edgar. That win was his second straight victory since losing by decision to Jose Aldo in December of 2020. Vera is 8-2-0 over his last 10 fights, and one of those losses came in his featherweight debut against Song Yadong. His loss to Aldo stands as his only loss at bantamweight since February of 2018.

Font vs Vera predictions & best bets

While it can be fun to see dominant fighters do their thing against overmatched opponents, nothing beats an evenly-matched bout in the main event. Font has one submission loss and no knockout losses on his professional resume while Vera has never been stopped in his career, so all signs point to a long and entertaining fight that could very well just come down to a few big moments.

But while a long fight could be in the cards, a finish isn’t out of the question. Both of these fighters land an impressive 5.64 significant strikes per minute. Font is tied with TJ Dillashaw for the most knockouts among active UFC bantamweights with five and Vera leads all active UFC bantamweights with nine finishes. We’re struggling to find much of an edge on either side, so given that Vera is getting underdog odds and is perhaps the more likely fighter to earn a finish, we lean towards him grinding out a victory in what should be a great main event.

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