The UFC octagon is leaving the cozy confines of the UFC Apex and is on the road this weekend, setting up shop in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s Rogers Place for UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Albazi (aka UFC Edmonton). And, since it’s an event in front of a paying audience, we get a solid fight card, with two former UFC champions competing along with plenty of Canadian talent. Here are your UFC Edmonton Predictions & Best Bets to make Saturday night profitable.
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UFC Edmonton Predictions & Best Bets
Brandon Moreno (-160) vs Amir Albazi
One of those former champs would be Brandon Moreno, a two-time owner of the UFC Flyweight Championship. However, he has lost back-to-back fights (both via split decisions) for only the second time in his career, and he’s now fighting against the up-and-coming Amir Albazi to prove his time at the apex of the sport hasn’t passed him by.
I think Moreno still has gas left in the tank. His strong all-around game and high-level experience should be enough to hold off Albazi.
Erin Blanchfield (-125) vs Rose Namajunas
The second former champ is Rose Namajunas, the former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion who has since moved up to flyweight. She’s facing 25-year-old grappling wiz Erin Blanchfield, who is looking to bounce back from losing a #1 contender fight against Manon Fiorot.
I think Blanchfield has the mindset to move past that loss and beat Namajunas. I’m still not sold on ‘Thug’ Rose at 125 pounds and you never know which version of her you’ll see in the cage. Blanchfield should be able to outgrapple her.
Derrick Lewis (+143) vs Jhonata Diniz
Hell ya, I’ll take Derrick Lewis as an underdog. The veteran heavyweight is up against a former kickboxer new(ish) to MMA, Jhonata Diniz. This means Diniz plans to strike with Lewis, which is bad news.
Lewis’s power stays with him regardless of how long a fight goes or how tired he appears to be. Plus, he’s got sneaky solid grappling in his back pocket if he chooses to use it.
Aiemann Zahabi (-120) vs Pedro Munhoz
Aiemann Zahabi is one of eight Canadians competing on home soil on Saturday, and I expect him to give the crowd in Edmonton something to cheer about. While Zahabi is only a year younger than his opponent Pedro Munhoz, he’s ascending while Munhoz’s best days are in the rearview.
I expect Zahabi to outclass Munhoz on the feet, and while Munhoz has never been stopped, my MMA Gambling Podcast cohost is predicting a knockout for the Canadian.
Cody Gibson via Submission (+480) vs Chad Anheliger
For fun, let’s sprinkle a little on a big submission prop bet for a bantamweight prelim fight. Six of Chad Anheliger’s seven professional losses have come via submission, including his last loss last November.
Cody Gibson has five submission wins and tapped out veteran Brian Kelleher his last time in the cage. This could be a nice payout for us.
If you’d like even more UFC Edmonton picks, be sure to check out the MMA Gambling Podcast. The guys are dropping five episodes a week to make you the smartest guy at the bar.
