UFC 258 Prelim Card betting odds & tips – Saturday 13/2/2021

UFC 258 prelims betting preview

We have four fights to enjoy on this exciting undercard at UFC 258, including catchweight, women’s strawweight, welterweight and middleweight bouts. Here’s a look at our UFC betting picks and fight previews for this Saturday’s prelim card.

Catchweight: Andre Ewell (+118) vs Chris Gutierrez (-138)

In our first prelim fight, we have Andre Ewell (17-6-0, 4-2 UFC) taking on Chris Gutierrez (15-3-2, 3-0-1 UFC) in a catchweight bout at 140 pounds. Ewell is on a two-fight winning streak, coming off a September 2020 split decision win over Irwin Rivera. Gutierrez enters this bout after an August 2020 draw to Cody Durden. Prior to that, Gutierrez was on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC. Ewell has an eight-inch reach advantage but is one inch shorter in height than Gutierrez. On his career Ewell is 7-1 by KO/TKO, 4-3 by submission, and 6-2 by decision. Gutierrez is 7-0 by KO/TKO, 1-1 by submission, and 8-2-2 by decision in his professional career. We like the reach advantage, so we’re taking Ewell straight up.

Women’s Strawweight: Polyana Viana (+117) vs Mallory Martin (-137)

In our second prelim bout, we have Polyana Viana (11-4-0, 2-3 UFC) fighting Mallory Martin (7-3-0, 1-1 UFC). Viana is coming off an August 2020 submission win against Emily Whitmire, and Martin is coming off a submission win of her own against Hannah Cifers on the same fight card. Viana is 4-0 by KO/TKO, 7-1 by submission, and 0-3 by decision in her career. Martin is 2-0 by KO/TKO, 2-1 by submission and 3-2 by decision. Polyana has a four-inch reach advantage and one-inch height advantage in this fight. Our pick for this fight is Martin by decision, because Viana is yet to win when the outcome goes this way.

Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (-450) vs Dhiego Lima (+350)

Our third prelim fight featured the no.13 welterweight contender Belal Muhammad (17-3-0, 8-3 UFC) versus Dhiego Lima (17-7-0, 3-1 UFC). Muhammad is coming off a June 2020 unanimous decision victory over Lyman Good, while Lima is coming off an October 2019 split decision win over Luke Jumeau. Both fighters are currently on three-fight winning streaks, but something’s gotta give in this matchup. Lima has a reach and height advantage of three inches. Muhammad is 4-1 by KO/TKO, 1-0 by submission, and 12-2 by decision in his professional career, while Lima is 4-4 by KO/TKO, 5-1 by submission, and 8-2 by decision. Muhammad is the clear UFC 258 betting favorite here, and we fancy him to win it on points.

Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira (-400) vs Anthony Hernandez (+300)

In our last prelim matchup, we have a battle of middleweights in the undefeated Rodolfo Vieira (7-0-0, 1-0 UFC) and Anthony Hernandez (7-2-0, 1-2 UFC). Vieira most recently had a submission victory over Saparbeg Safarov in March 2020. Hernandez’s last fight was a May 2020 KO/TKO loss to Kevin Holland. This looks to be a jiu-jitsu showdown, as these fighters have 11 submission victories combined. Vieira is 1-0 by KO/TKO, 6-0 by submission, and 0-0 by decision in his career, while Hernandez is 1-1 by KO/TKO, 5-1 by submission, and 1-0 by decision. The two men are equal in height at 6’0’ each, but Hernandez has a two-inch reach advantage. Much like the Muhammad fight, we would not recommend betting on Vieira straight up at these odds. A submission prop seems most logical at -200, given his skill in that area. It is tempting to throw a shot at Hernandez by submission, as the odds at Nags.bet are at +2000 for the prop, but how can we bet against a man nicknamed the ‘Black Belt Hunter’ in a fight that looks to be a grappling matchup? Take Vieira to keep his undefeated streak alive.