UFC Fight Night Picks and Tips

Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong

This fight between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong is one of those matches you know will be worth watching, but it isn't until it gets going that you realize just how incredible the fight will be. Simply put, this battle is between two of the bantamweight division’s best strikers, with Yadong looking to make a name for himself at 135 not long after Sandhagen’s loss to Petr Yan.

The American has now lost two in a row after registering two Knockout of the Year contenders with a spinning wheel kick finish against Marlon Moraes and a flying knee inside the first 30 seconds against Frankie Edgar.

If Sandhagen can turn back the clock to these two KO wins, he should win. However, the astonishing power of Yadong is genuinely incredible, and he is now on a three-fight winning run. A split decision victory against Casey Kenney was followed by a memorable TKO win against Julio Acre and a Performance of the Night knockout victory over Moraes.

However, we think it could be one step too far too soon for the 24-year-old, and Sandhagen is our pick here.

Cory Sandhagen To Win By KO/TKO/DQ is 4.50 with DraftKings.

Chidi Njokuani vs. Gregory Rodrigues

The co-main event at this UFC Fight Night is equally as appealing as the main event, with two ferocious fighters looking to make a name for themselves at middleweight as Gregory Rodrigues and Chidi Njokuani do battle.

Njokuani, a kickboxing specialist, is unbeaten after two fights in the UFC, which has also earned him consecutive Performance of the Night awards after winning via KO in both fights. Marc-André Barriault and Duško Todorović were the two men who fell to a knockout loss against him, and you have to go back to 2019 to witness his last defeat against Rafael Carvalho in Bellator.

Gregory Rodrigues is coming into this one also off a Performance of the Night win against Julian Marquez. It was a stunning KO win for the Brazilian as he was losing the right in the first round quite convincingly and came out of nowhere with a barrage of punches.

Njokuani looks special, and we think he could get another finish.

Chidi Njokuani by KO/TKO is 3.10 with FanDuel.

Andre Fili vs. Bill Algeo

Two fighters with contrasting results in recent fights will battle in this one. Algeo is coming into this fight with a two-fight winning run after beating Joanderson Brito and Herbert Burns through a TKO, the latter earned him a Performance of the Night award.

Fili lost to Brito in the last fight through a TKO loss, and with Bryce Mitchell defeating him just before that, there isn't much hope for the Washington man here.

Bill Algeo by points is 3.00 with FanDuel. 

Alen Amedovski vs. Joe Pyfer

Alen Amedovski heads into his fight against Joe Pyfer, knowing that a loss could spell the end of his time in the UFC. So far, the Macedonian has had three fights with the company and lost all three. Pyfer, however, will fight in his UFC debut after beating Ozzy Diaz with a sensational performance on the Contender Series, not long after beating Austin Trotman in his last fight in Cage Fury.

We can’t see how someone with such a bad run of form wins here, and Pyfer is our pick to win on points.

 Joe Pyfer by points is 7.50 with FanDuel.

Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Tanner Boser

It's the rebooked fight between Tanner Boser and Rodrigo Nascimento where they cannot afford to lose if they are to establish their dreams of making a name for themselves in the heavyweight rankings. However, Boser is the favourite in this one after knocking out the veteran fighter, Ovince Saint Preux.

Despite the hype behind him heading into the UFC, Nascimento is now sitting with one win, one loss and one no-contest after he tested positive for ritalinic acid in his win over Alan Baudot.

Both men have incredible power, but we think Boser will get the job done here through a knockout in what will be his 12th TKO/KO victory in his career.

Tanner Boser by KO/TKO is 2.20 with FanDuel.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

There's a clear winner between Anthony Hernandez and Marc-Andre Barriault this weekend in the middleweight division as looks to win his 10th fight in 12 matches. "Fluffy" is still living off the high of stunningly submitting the BJJ legend, Rodolfo Vieira, back in February. Hernandez then went on to win via a unanimous decision against Josh Fremd back in April.

Barriault is far from a pushover, but with his eight fights in the UFC, he has won only three of them, losing four and recording a no-contest against Oskar Piechota after he tested positive for ostarine.

Hernandez is an excellent fighter and doesn’t quite get the credit he deserves.

Anthony Hernandez by points is 2.80 with FanDuel.

Jabs

These are some other bets worth a look at on this week’s schedule:

• Damon Jackson to win on points (3.90) against Pat Sabatini.
• Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann to go the distance (1.48).
• Trevin Giles by KO/TKO (2.70) against Louis Cosce.
• Loma Lookboonmee to win on points (1.91) against Denise Gomes.
• Daniel Zellhuber by KO/TKO (2.40) against Trey Ogden.
• Gillian Robertson vs. Mariya Agapova to go the distance (2.66).