The UFC returns this weekend after a short break and the event will take place in Las Vegas. The card is stacked with well-known fighters and the main event has the potential to be one of the best fights since the start of the year. Here are our UFC Vegas 74 predictions.
Kai Kara-France is third in the division rankings. Before moving to the UFC, he competed in AFC, Kunlun Fight, Rizin FF, and Glory of Heroes. Also, he was a participant in the fighting reality show The Ultimate Fighter. On account of the 30-year-old athlete are 24 wins (11 by knockout), nine losses, and one NC.
Kara-France was defeated in the last match. In July 2022, the New Zealander lost to the Champion Brandon Moreno (TKO) from Mexico. However, before that, he won three victories in a row. Including a win over the Russian Askar Askarov (unanimous decision).
Amir Albazi was born in Baghdad but soon moved with his family to Europe. The Iraqi began to engage in mixed martial arts at a professional level in 2009. The 29-year-old Iraqi has 16 wins (five by knockout) and one loss.
Since his debut in the UFC, he has won four victories in a row. In the last fight in December 2022, Albazi defeated the Brazilian Alessandro Costa (knockout). Amir holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
We believe that this fight will be short and Kai Kara-France has a much bigger chance to win it than the odds suggest. This is the first big fight for Albazi in his career while Kara-France has been at the top for several years now.
Alex Caceres made his Dana White league debut in 2010. Before that, he performed in The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. The 34-year-old Miami native has 22 wins (four by knockout) and 14 losses. He is ranked 15th in the division rankings.
Before moving to the UFC, Daniel Pineda performed in the Professional Fighters League, Bellator, and EliteXC. The 37-year-old Texas native has 28 wins (nine by knockout) and 14 losses. The American has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In the last fight, Pineda defeated his compatriot Tucker Lutz (submission) in March 2023.
Bookmakers consider Caceres the clear favorite of the upcoming fight. Alex, who has been in the UFC for about 13 years, has excellent striking technique and works great at a distance. We have two UFC Vegas 74 predictions for this match – either pick the clean win for Caceres or for him to win by KO/Submission at higher odds.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov will have his fourth match in the UFC. In the previous two, the Russian won. The 33-year-old fighter from Makhachkala defeated Jared Gooden (unanimous) from the USA and his compatriot Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (unanimous). Nurmagomedov has 17 wins (seven by knockout) and three losses.
Previously, he performed at tournaments of the WSOF and PFL fighting organizations. Abubakar is the champion of Russia in combat sambo, the bronze medalist of the world championship, and the second cousin of the undefeated UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Elizeu dos Santos is a former Jungle Fight Welterweight Champion. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On the account of the 36-year-old Latin American fighter are 23 wins (14 by knockout) and seven losses.
In the last fight in October 2021, dos Santos defeated Benoit Saint-Denis (unanimous decision) from France. However, before that, he lost to the Russian Muslim Salikhov (split decision).
Bookmakers found it difficult to name a clear favorite of the upcoming fight. In their opinion, Nurmagomedov will have a slight advantage. We agree with them. The Russian is younger and went through the Dagestan martial arts school. Dos Santos, on the other hand, unsuccessfully fights with distinguished wrestlers. The odds are high but this is one of our most secure UFC Vegas 74 predictions.
Pilipe Lins became the winner of the Professional Fighters League in the light heavyweight division in 2018. In mixed martial arts, the Latino made his debut in 2005. The 35-year-old fighter has 16 wins (nine by knockout), and five losses. In his last fight, he defeated the American Ovince Saint-Preux (knockout). Lins is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Max Grishin was a sparring partner of Fedor Emelianenko. The 39-year-old Russian trains in Grozny and represents the Akhmat Fight Club. He is a master of sports in hand-to-hand combat. He has 32 wins (16 by knockout) and nine losses at the professional level. In his last bout, “Maximus” defeated William Knight (unanimous decision).
This is a difficult card for predictions because it is mostly stacked with veterans and debutants. We have selected our favorites above and in this section, we will give you some short tips on some of the other UFC Vegas 74 picks that you may consider.
There are two prelim fights that should end early – Jamie Mullarkey vs Muhammad Naimov and John Castaneda vs Muin Gafurov. Both fights involve distinguished strikers and debutants. Therefore, you can expect the fighters to try and prove themselves in front of Dana White and the world.
Earlier in the night, Andrei Arlovski, who is the oldest and most experienced fighter in the UFC, returns to the octagon with newcomer Don’Tale Mayes. This is a heavyweight bout and Arlovski is over 40 years old at this point. If you are looking for UFC Vegas 74 predictions for longer matches, this one should reach the judges as it is a heavyweight bout that includes a veteran who won’t take risks.
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