UFC Vegas 87 (aka UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev) was supposed to be UFC Saudi Arabia until – reportedly – the Saudis balked at the weak lineup the UFC presented them. So it’s back to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday night for a kinda weak fight card with some definitely weak moneylines (eight of the 11 fights have a -300 favorite or higher). Here are my UFC Vegas 87 predictions and best bets.
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UFC Vegas 87 Predictions & Best Bets
Shamil Gaziev (-160) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
We get a couple of big boys in the main event, which lends to the weak nature of this fight lineup. In Shamil Gaziev, we get an unknown commodity; in Jairzinho Rozenstruik, we get a fighter about four years past his prime, if he ever really had a prime.
Gaizev is the more well-rounded guy in this fight and definitely the better grappler. He’s also a couple of years younger than Rozenstruik and is a perfect 12-0 as a pro, with finishes in 11 of those fights. Anything can happen at heavyweight, but if Gaziev can avoid the big shot from Rozenstruik, he should be able to run his record to 13 up, 13 down.
Vitor Petrino (-300) vs. Tyson Pedro
We go down a weight class to light heavyweight for our co-main event, with another undefeated fighter going up against a veteran. Vitor Petrino is 10-0 with eight finishes, including two straight. The UFC seemed to be spoon-feeding Tyson Pedro favorable matchups up to this point, but that stops here.
Petrino is the younger (by six years) and the more aggressive fighter in this matchup, who can beat Pedro on the feet with his power and is also a better grappler. The Brazilian keeps his unblemished record intact come Saturday night.
Muhammad Mokaev (-350) vs. Alex Perez
Will this flyweight fight actually make it to the cage? Can we get odds on that instead?! Alex Perez has been involved in 12 canceled fights over the past four years while only making it into the cage four times. He hasn’t fought since July 2022 and hasn’t had his hand raised in victory since June 2020.
This is all bad news for him heading into a fight with young, undefeated (yep, another one) Muhammad Mokaev. ‘The Punisher’ is going to feast on Perez’s ring rust and submit him (win via submission +150).
Claudio Ribeiro (+250) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
There is only one underdog I’m willing to take a stab at on this very chalky card, and that is Claudio Ribeiro in his middleweight bout against Christian Leroy Duncan.
Ribeiro is a bit of a wildman in the cage and has immense power, with 11 knockouts in 11 professional MMA wins. Duncan gets himself hit a bit too much in fights, which is a bad idea when going up against someone like Ribeiro. I think Ribeiro can find his chin.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (-175) vs. Loik Radzhabov
In the opener, I’m backing UFC newcomer Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady to beat Loik Radzhabov. Al-Sewady punched his ticket to the big show by winning on Dana White’s Contender Series, part of his current five-fight winning streak.
Earlier in his career, Al-Selwady got hit too much and knocked out three times. He seems to have fixed that hole in his game, remains dangerous on the feet, and pushes a real pace.
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