UFC Vegas 15 prelim card betting predictions & odds

UFC Vegas 15 prelims betting preview

The UFC deserves a lot of credit for consistently building these weekly cards and giving young talent the opportunity to shine. Here’s a look at the six preliminary matchups on this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 15 card and the latest betting odds at online sportsbooks.

Women’s Bantamweight: Ashlee Evans-Smith (-140) vs Norma Dumont Viana (+120)

Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4-0) has had an underwhelming career in the UFC with a 3-4 record including a current 1-3 stretch over her last four fights, though she hasn’t fought since February of 2019. Norma Dumont Viana (4-1-0) is a relative unknown who was 4-0 as a professional before losing her UFC debut to Megan Anderson via first-round knockout in February. Without much to go on here, we’ll take a shot on the underdog odds.

Bantamweight: Martin Day (-157) vs Anderson dos Santos (+137)

Neither Martin Day (8-4-0) nor Anderson dos Santos (20-8-0) provide very much confidence as both are off to 0-2 starts to their respective UFC careers. Day will have a five-inch height advantage and a three-inch reach advantage in this one, which should be too much for dos Santos to overcome in the striking game.

Women’s Flyweight: Gina Mazany (-140) vs Rachael Ostovich (+120)

Gina Mazany (6-4-0) was a good sport in taking a dangerous fight against Julia Avila on short notice in June, and her bravery was met with a knockout loss in 22 seconds. She’ll have a much more winnable fight this time around against Rachael Ostovich (4-5-0), who has lost three of her last four professional fights as Mazany has. Mazany is 1-4 across two stints with the UFC and does not appear to be a very good defensive fighter; Ostovich may not be able to take advantage of this, but we’ll take a stab at the upset here.

Featherweight: Kai Kamaka III (-300) vs Jonathan Pearce (+250)

Kai Kamaka III (8-2-0) is a perfect 6-0 over his last six fights, including a win over Tony Kelley in his UFC debut in August. Jonathan Pearce (9-4-0) has legitimate power with seven of his nine professional wins coming by way of knockout, but his last loss against Joe Lauzon doesn’t suggest he’s that much of a threat at UFC level. Kamaka III should grind out a win on points if he can avoid any big mistakes.

Flyweight: Su Mudaerji (-330) vs Malcolm Gordon (+270)

This will be a classic striker versus grappler matchup, as Su Mudaerji (12-4-0) has earned 10 of his 12 professional wins by way of knockout and Malcolm Gordon (12-4-0) has picked up four of his last five wins by submission. Interestingly, all four of Mudaerji’s career losses have come via submission. The most likely outcome here might be a Mudaerji knockout win, but at +270 there is tons of value on Gordon catching Mudaerji with something on the mat.

Catchweight (140 lb): Luke Sanders (-141) vs Nathan Maness (+121)

Luke Sanders (13-3-0) opened as a small underdog in this bout but has since been betted up to favoritism over Nathan Maness (12-1-0). Sanders is the superior striker in this bout and should do enough to win, as the early UFC betting action has suggested.