UFC Fight Night 198 main card preview & top betting picks

An intriguing welterweight bout between Sean Brady and Michael Chiesa will serve as the co-main event for this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 198 betting card. Here’s a breakdown of that matchup and the other fights leading up to the main event in Las Vegas of Ketlen Vieira vs Miesha Tate.

Welterweight: Sean Brady (-160) vs Michael Chiesa (+140)

Sean Brady (14-0-0) is off to a perfect 14-0 start to his professional MMA career including a 4-0-0 record with two straight submission wins in the UFC. Brady will face his toughest test to date when he takes on Michael Chiesa this Saturday. Chiesa (18-5-0) was riding a four-fight win streak that included wins over Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny before having that streak snapped with a submission loss to Vincente Luque in August.

This is a great opportunity for Brady to prove he’s the real deal against a top-ten welterweight. It’s always tough to predict how these step-up fights will go, but considering each of Chiesa’s last three losses have come via submission and Brady has shown a solid knack for submissions early in his career, we’ll give the edge to the up-and-comer.

Bantamweight: Kyung Ho Kang (-118) vs Rani Yahya (-102)

Kyung Ho Kang (17-8-0) is set to return to the octagon for the first time in over two years this Saturday night. Kang is 6-1 over his last seven fights; three of those fights have been submission wins in his favor and the other four were all decided by split decision. Rani Yahya (27-10-1) has compiled an 8-2-1 record over his last 10 fights with each of his last four wins coming by way of submission.

It’s always fun when two submission specialists get together as you never know which way it will go when they hit the mat. As indicated by the odds at the top betting sites, this is the most even matchup on the main card. We’ll take a shot on Yahya, who has 21 submission wins under his belt and won’t be dealing with the potential ring rust that Kang might be after his long layoff.

Women’s Flyweight: Taila Santos (-350) vs Joanne Calderwood (+285)

Taila Santos (18-1-0) is one split decision loss away from a perfect record. Santos bounced back nicely from that loss in her UFC debut with three straight unanimous decision wins. Joanne Calderwood (15-6-0) opened her professional career with an 11-1 record but has gone an underwhelming 4-5 over her last nine fights. This looks like a pretty clear spot for Santos to do what she does, controlling the tempo and racking up enough points for the win.

Bantamweight: Adrian Yanez (-305) vs Davey Grant (+250)

Adrain Yanez (14-3-0) is currently riding a seven fight win streak that includes six knockouts. Yanez has scored knockout wins in each of his first three fights in the UFC. Davey Grant (13-5-0) meanwhile just had a three-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Marlon Vera. Grant is no pushover and has never been knocked out, so the odds may be a bit more lopsided than they aught to be. But Yanez is on fire and will probably open this card up with another banger of a knockout.