UFC 260 prelim card betting odds & predictions – March 27, 2021

COVID-19 has taken its toll on the UFC 260 card, forcing the cancellation of the co-main event of Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega and a handful of other fights down the card. Here’s a look at the five fights that still remain on the preliminary card this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Light Heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield (-250) vs Fabio Cherant (+210)

Alonzo Menifield (9-2-0) was originally set to fight William Knight in this slot, but Knight was removed due to COVID-19 protocols and Fabio Cherant (7-1-0) will make his UFC debut against Menifield instead. The late change could throw Menifield for a loop given that his preparation was for a different fighter and that Cherant seems to be capable on the mat with five submission wins under his belt. But going up against an unproven foe who has never fought at this level before, we’ll trust Menifield’s power to propel him to a win.

Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov (-240) vs Jared Gooden (+205)

Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-3-1) is the cousin of former UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov lost his UFC debut in a stunning upset to David Zawada to fall to 1-2-1 over his last four fights since opening his professional career with a 14-1-0 record. This matchup with Jared Gooden (17-5-0) seems tailor-made for Nurmagomedov to get into the win column with; Gooden lost his UFC debut last November and has struggled against strong wrestlers in the past. Look for Nurmagomedov to grind out a win on the mat.

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (-160) vs Modestas Bukauskas (+140)

Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-4-0) has lost two straight fights by submission to Ovince St. Preux and to Jimmy Crute since going 11-0-0 over his previous 11 bouts. He will face Modestas Bukauskas (11-3-0), who is also coming off a loss to Crute after winning his previous seven fights (with five straight knockouts). This looks like a pretty evenly-matched fight on paper, making Bukauskas an attractive option at these underdog odds with the top UFC betting sites.

Featherweight: Omar Morales (-180) vs Shane Young (+155)

This fight was originally canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, but Shane Young (13-5-0) announced in an interview on Wednesday that the fight was still on, and it is still up on the UFC’s website. Omar Morales (10-1-0) will have the power edge in this one, while Young has strikes that are a bit more fluid. Morales suffered his first professional loss in his last fight against Giga Chikadze, who was definitely a tougher matchup; he should be able to get back in the win column with some heavy striking against Young.

Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault (-129) vs Abu Azaitar (+109)

Marc-Andre Berriault (11-4-0) snapped a three-fight losing streak with a knockout win over Oskar Piechota last June, but that result was overturned due to a failed drug test. Abu Azaitar (14-2-0) returns to the octagon after a 30 month layoff with a 9-0-1 record over his last 10 fights including a win in his UFC debut back in July of 2018. This is a tough fight to cap given that we have know way of knowing what adjustments Azaitar has made during his long layoff, but we suspect the ring rust and Berriault’s striking will give him trouble.