Following a thrilling night in Dallas last week, the UFC returns to its home base in Las Vegas on Saturday with a light heavyweight tussle between contenders headlining UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill. With back-to-back first-round stoppage wins Jamahal Hill is the betting favorite in the main card matchup with Thiago Santos. A pair of ranked welterweights locks horns in the co-main event with Vicente Luque the favorite over Geoff Neal to see which fighter ascends up the rankings. Also, two fights will determine the next Ultimate Fighter champions showcasing the promotions up-and-coming talents.
The action inside the Octagon will be fierce with 12 scheduled bouts making up the fight card on Saturday, August 6 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Preliminary round matches are slated to start at 7 p.m. ET with the main card set for 10 p.m. ET. Every fight can be seen on ESPN and ESPN+. Wagering options for every fight are available at BookMaker.eu when you’re ready to place a wager.
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill Odds
Main Card
Thiago Santos +218 vs. Jamahal Hill -285
Geoff Neal +146 vs. Vicente Luque -185
Mohammed Usman +186 vs. Zac Pauga -240
Juliana Miller -125 vs. Brogan Walker-Sanchez -105
Augusto Sakai +183 vs. Sergey Spivak -235
Priscila Cachoeira +139 vs. Ariane Lipski -175
The six-fight main card is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Santos (22-10) and Hill (10-1). It wasn’t that long ago that sixth-ranked Santos was fighting for the division crown losing a close split decision to Jon Jones in July 2019, and he hasn’t been the same since. That setback was the first of three straight and though he responded with a unanimous decision over Johnny Walker last year, he succumbed to Magomed Ankalaev in March in another decision. Due to his recent results Santos is a +218 underdog. Desperation can be a great motivator and Santos is in a must-win situation to entertain any hope of fighting for the strap again. Following his first pro loss Hill responded with a pair of first-round stoppages of Jimmy Crute and Johnny Walker to get back on an upward trajectory. A powerful striker, six of Hill’s wins have been by KO, including the last three. Given the freefall Santos is in, it’s hard not to back the favorite.
UFC Prediction: Jamahal Hill -285 / (T)KO
The bad news for Vicente Luque (21-8-1) is that he’s coming off a convincing loss to Belal Muhammad in April. The good news is that he’s never lost two fights in a row bouncing back with a string of stoppage victories. On the wrong side of a decision in 2015, Luque won his next four fights, two subs and two KOs, including a first round KO of Muhammad in November 2016. He also stopped Niko Price, Randy Brown, Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa prior to his latest loss. With 11 KOs and eight submissions among his 21 wins, Luque has a diverse skill set and matches up well against any opponent, which is why he’s the favorite. Neal ended a two-fight skid with a split decision over Santiago Ponzinibbio last December. His raw power has yet to be tapped, but when it is look out. I’m just not sure if it ever will be.
UFC Prediction: Vicente Luque -185 / Submission
The Ultimate Fighter will be crowned in a pair of fights leading up to the main events. Undefeated Zac Pauga (6-0) squares off with Mohammed Usman in a heavyweight tilt with Pauga the decided favorite. Pauga dominated Jordan Heiderman to get here and also has a unanimous decision over former UFC fighter Markus Perez. More intimidating by his size and physical presence, Usman (8-2) lacks the skills of his counterpart. The women’s flyweight final has a seasoned pro in Brogan Walker-Sanchez (8-2) taking on Juliana Miller (3-1).
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill Odds
Prelims
Sam Alvey +431 vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk -650
Erick Gonzalez +566 vs. Terrance McKinney -950
Takashi Sato +190 vs. Bryan Battle -245
Jason Witt +172 vs. Josh Quinlan -220
Miranda Granger +176 vs. Cory McKenna -225
Mayra Bueno Silva -105 vs. Stephanie Egger -125
Six fights in the preliminary round get the night started with Terrance McKinney (12-4) the biggest favorite on the board at -950 in his lightweight tussle with Erick Gonzalez (14-6). McKinney took a big step up in competition last time and was stopped by Drew Dober before the first round ended. Making his promotional debut against the man with the most fights in UFC history wasn’t ideal for Gonzo, who was stopped in the second round before breaking a sweat. Fighting someone more his caliber puts Gonzalez in a good position to make backers some coin at +566 on the odds board.
