The women of the UFC sit on the throne this weekend with strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill headlining UFC Vegas 73.
We’ll see more of this division earlier in the main card with Emily Ducote taking on the always-game Lupita Godinez. Other female standouts include the veteran Karolina Kowalkiewicz, the entertaining Vanessa Demopoulos and the young, rising assassin, Natália Silva. Other incredible, explosive matchups include Edmen Shahbazyan and Anthony Hernandez in the co-main event along with Andre Fialho and Joaquin Buckley. All of these matchups (plus more) are covered below and feature BLÜ’s predictions along with the Bet99 Sportsbook Odds.
Main Card (4:00 PM PST)
Michael Johnson vs. Diego Ferreira
BET99 Odds
Johnson: +130 Ferreira: -163
Over 2.5: +120 Under 2.5: -155
This is a tough matchup to call, opening the main card action. Johnson is notoriously inconsistent while Ferreira hasn’t fought since 2021 and hasn’t won since early 2020. With both men seemingly close in skill on tape, you’ve gotta side with the guy who’s been more active and still grabbing wins. The pick has to be Michael Johnson in a close decision, especially with those plus money odds.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Johnson by Decision
Andre Fialho vs. Joaquin Buckley
BET99 Odds
Fialho: +180 Buckley: -225
Over 1.5: -134 Under 1.5: +105
When Fialho first burst onto the scene, I thought he was quickly going to be a problem for the top 15, knocking out everyone in the way. Sadly, his last two fights, which have been both KO losses, have painted a different picture. As for Buckley, he’s been finding success against the bigger guys at 185. With Buckley being MUCH larger, more well-rounded and holding the more impressive stretch recently, he’s the clear pick in this matchup. Considering Fialho has been knocked out by smaller men in his last two, it wouldn’t be surprising if Buckley was able to do the same.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Buckley by Finish
Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez
BET99 Odds
Ducote: +130 Godinez: -160
Over 2.5: -350 Under 2.5: +250
On a night headlined by two top female contenders, we’ve got another pretty exciting strawweight bout right here. Ducote brought the heat in her debut against Jessica Penne. Sadly, her last fight against one of the headliners, Angela Hill, was a VERY one-sided affair with Hill putting on one of the most dominant striking displays we’ve seen in a while. She’ll have a speed advantage here, making it easier for her to get back to a normal pace, but she’ll have to overcome the size, strength and grappling of Godinez. From what I’ve seen, Ducote will be a tad too small to handle that onslaught, likely leading to a decision loss once again.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Godinez by Decision
Co-Main Event
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez
BET99 Odds
Shahbazyan: +180 Hernandez: -225
Over 1.5: -150 Under 1.5: +120
Similar to what I said about Fialho, Shahbazyan appeared to be that next top contender, but was then thrown down the ladder with 3 straight losses. He took the year off and looked great against Lungiambula a few months ago, but Hernandez is a MUCH tougher test. With 3 wins since his brutal loss to Kevin Holland, Hernandez is climbing the ladder, somehow managing to submit the (at the time) undefeated submission ace, Rodolfo Vieira. He also managed to finish Barriault. If Hernandez can submit two dangerous, huge grapplers like that, Edmen is going to have a problem. Edmen could always get a KO, but Hernandez is tough to finish and Shahbazyan has struggled against grapplers. There could be a finish on either side, but I’ll side with Hernandez.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Hernandez by Finish
Main Event
Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
BET99 Odds
Dern: -184 Hill: +150
Over 4.5: -150 Under 4.5: +120
This one’s a bit of a strange matchup on paper. Hill hasn’t been successful against the top contenders in the division while Dern has consistently near the top and having close fights, losing to Yan in a majority decision in her last fight. Hill definitely has the better striking, but Dern has 5 rounds to use her size and her grappling skills to control the fight and possibly grab a sub. I just don’t think Hill will be able to shut that down consistently and land enough strikes to win a decision.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Dern by Decision
BLU’s Prelim Picks (Prelims begin at 1:30 PM PST)
Maheshate vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
BET99 Odds
Maheshate: +133 Borshchev: -163
Over 2.5: +133 Under 2.5: -172
If there’s one thing that’s certain about this matchup, it’s the action. Both men love to brawl and go for knockouts and neither man is really into grappling. As such, either man could grab the finish or the hard-fought decision. Coincidentally, they both had a win on DWCS and followed it up with a 1st Round KO in their UFC debut. We’re in for some violence here either way, but I’ll side with 23 year old and the slightly larger man, Maheshate. He’s HUGE and, with his size and growing skillset, he can be a real problem in this division.
BLÜ’s Prediction
Maheshate by Decision
BLÜ’s Best Bets
Here I highlight some betting lines that you might want to take advantage of for UFC Vegas 73. These are odds that favour the bettor. Although some of them may conflict with my picks, they offer a fair reward for a slight bit of risk.
Latifi vs. Nascimento Over 2.5 at +100
Latifi has been almost exclusively in decisions in the UFC; it’s just his style of fighting. While Nascimento looks for finishes, he was brought to a decision by Boser, just like Latifi. At plus money, it’s at least worth a stab.
The Underdog Maheshate at +133
Both guys have had an almost identical experience in their UFC journeys, but Maheshate is bigger and a lot younger. I’m not saying he’s got the win locked up, but at plus money it’s worth the shot.
The Underdog Michael Johnson at +128
Johnson has been a lot more active than Ferreira and has also been grabbing wins. With that in mind, it seems crazy not to put a little bit of money down on Johnson.
Parlay Opportunities
The Short Run
Silva + Kowalkiewicz + Dern
The Long Run
Silva + Fiore + Buckley + Dern