UFC Vegas 114 Betting Preview: Three Best Bets for Fight Night

After Charles Oliveira defeated Max Holloway for the BMF title at UFC 326 last week, the UFC will look to bounce back this weekend at UFC Vegas 114.

UFC Vegas 114 marks the return of the UFC to Meta Apex headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosting its nearly monthly Fight Night event from its home base.

The main event will feature a featherweight match between veteran Josh Emmett and rising star Kevin Vallejos. Emmett has lost four of his last five fights, most recently receiving a submission to Youssef Jalal at UFC 320 in October. Vallejos, meanwhile, went 17-1, with his only loss coming to Jean Silva. Vallejos is 3-0 in the UFC since signing Dana White’s Contender Series contract and comes into this fight coming off a KO of Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 112 in December.

The co-main event will be a top 10 women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Lemos and Gillian Robertson. Lemos is 2-3 in her last five fights, most recently coming off a poor performance against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 3 in Noce in September. Robertson has won four straight. This is her first fight since finishing Marina Rodriguez at UFC Des Moines in May.

Other main card bouts include Ion Cutelaba vs. Oumar Sy, Andre Fili vs. Jose Miguel Delgado, Marwan Rihiki vs. Harry Hardwick, and Charles Johnson vs. Bruno Silva.

Josh Emmett VS. Kevin Vallejos

Josh Emmett is a tough and respected man within the MMA community. He is known for his strength and has maintained a name for himself in the featherweight division for many years. But he is 41 years old and in decline. As evidenced by the losing skid he’s had recently (even though he’s lost his name due to not having suffered terrible losses). Vallejos, meanwhile, is 24 years old and a proven finisher. This is definitely a case of experience versus youth (some will probably be hoping Vallejos pulls off a win against a notable name like Emmett).

Considering Emmett’s experience, better opponent record, and the fact that he hasn’t been KO’d or TKO’d since 2018, this is definitely not the strongest card selection. That said, Vallejos’ striking is still developing but powerful and I’m not sure Emmett can hold it for 25 minutes. Even if he does, Vallejos will still have Emmett’s name under his belt.

BET: Vallejos wins by KO/TKO (FanDuel: +105)

Amanda Lemos VS. Gillian Robertson

The two were originally booked months in advance, and the circumstances surrounding the sudden cancellation caused a rift between the two. Robertson said he’s looking for closure, but he’s not sure that will happen here. Lemos is a tough fighter with commendable striking ability. But grapplers have been a problem for her, and the 38-year-old is showing signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, Robertson is an accomplished grappler who is looking to break into the upper echelons of both the strawweight and flyweight divisions. A win against a former title challenger in Lemos would be the next step.

The longer Lemos continues to fight, the better for her. That means Robertson will be relentless in his pursuit of takedowns, and Lemos probably won’t be able to prevent them all. Robertson will win this match. The question is whether she can finish.

BET: Robertson wins via decision (FanDuel: +175)

Brad Tavares VS. Eric Anders

Two fighters, two similar stories. Both men are UFC veterans. Both had a lot of losses with both of them in the later stages of their MMA careers. The physical abilities of the two people are also similar! This is one of those cases where the fight could go either way. Ultimately, what can happen is Anders goes for a takedown and there’s a lot of delay near the fence. On the other hand, striking will be very give-and-take unless you can suddenly land a powerful shot.

This screams decision.

BET: Tavares vs Anders Will Go Far (Caesars & BetMGM: -150)