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Belal Muhammad adamantly refuses to accept the widespread notion that he has "nothing to lose" by taking on third-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on Saturday. The No. 13-ranked Muhammad appears to have a strong case that there is plenty at stake when they close the curtain on the main UFC fight card, which is expected to start at 8 p.m. ET. Muhammad, who has won four straight, took the fight on a month's notice to face Edwards, who hasn't entered the Octagon in 20 months.

While Edwards is almost assured of a title shot with a win, Muhammad told the media this week that he can't afford to come up short in what might be his lone opportunity to crack the top five in a loaded division. Edwards is a -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100), while Muhammad is a +210 underdog in the latest UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad odds from William Hill Sportsbook. In the co-main event, Misha Cirkunov (-135) faces Ryan Spann (+115) in a battle of light heavyweight prospects. Before making any UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad picks of your own, make sure you see the MMA predictions from SportsLine insider Ian Parker.

A former fighter who's been in the industry for 15 years, Parker has managed some of the world's best, including former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Costas Philippou and Gian Villante. Parker trained alongside UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra. Now, Parker breaks down fights and makes betting picks for the Voice of the UFC, Jon Anik.

Parker is coming off a mind-boggling 2020 season. On the Anik & Florian Podcast, Parker went an astounding 58-14, returning $9,465 to $100 bettors who followed him. He hit 11 of his 17 underdog picks and 19 of 30 main events. Overall, Parker nailed an astonishing 81 percent of his plays.

Parker already has proven his mettle to SportsLine members, as he went 4-1 last week at UFC 259 to give his followers another profitable card. His winners included telling SportsLine members to back former champion Dominick Cruz (+120) against Casey Kenney (-140) in the featured preliminary bout. Cruz's edge in experience showed, as he confused his opponent with a variety of looks and came on strong in the third round to earn a decision victory. Anyone who has consistently followed Parker already has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad in sight, Parker has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his top five selections for Saturday's card. A successful parlay would pay out odds of better than 20-1, and those selections are only available at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad preview  

Parker knows the main event represents a turning point in the careers of both fighters, who are trying to gain leverage towards a title shot in a crowded welterweight division.

Champion Kamaru Usman hasn't booked a fight since stopping second-ranked Gilbert Burns in the third round of his title defense last month. Now, Edwards is the highest-ranked contender who has yet to challenge Usman for the belt, although he lost a non-title fight to the champion in 2015 before embarking on his current eight-fight win streak.

Similar to Usman, Edwards (18-3) has been criticized for his sometimes-conservative fighting style and also for an apparent hesitance to leave his home country of England. The 29-year-old British fighter has seen 13 of his 21 bouts take place in England, and he has fought just twice in the United States.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions caused the cancellation of his fight against former champion Tyron Woodley last year as well as a matchup against rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev while the Russia-born slugger continues to deal with the effects of a severe case of COVID-19.

The UFC found an eager short-notice opponent in Muhammad (18-3), who has won four straight and believes he deserves to be mentioned among the division's elite.

The 32-year-old Chicago native has added striking and pace to his formidable wrestling-based approach. He has had just a month to prepare for Edwards following a decision victory against Dhiego Lima at UFC 258. You can see Parker's UFC picks here.

UFC fight card predictions

We'll share one of Parker's UFC Fight Night selections here: He is siding with Jonathan Martinez (-280) to get his hand raised against Davey Grant (+240) in a matchup of bantamweight prospects.

Martinez (13-3) has shown a polished skill set while embarking on a UFC run that has seen him go 4-2 in the promotion, with both defeats coming by narrow decisions. He started 2020 with a split-decision defeat against Andre Ewell in February but responded with impressive back-to-back victories. The 26-year-old Texan is looking to build off a decision victory against once-heralded prospect Thomas Almeida in October.

Grant (12-4) started his UFC campaign with a 1-2 mark, but has turned things around and heads to the cage Saturday behind a two-fight winning streak. The 35-year-old English fighter saw his last outing result in a third-round knockout of Martin Day at UFC 251 in July.

"Martinez is the better striker and will have the speed advantage, along with the better cardio," Parker told SportsLine. 

How to make UFC Fight Night picks

Parker also has strong picks for Edwards vs. Muhammad and four other battles on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing one fighter who's the "better striker" and has "better cardio" to pull an upset. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Edwards vs. Muhammad? And what other picks could lead to a 20-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the ultimate insider who's up nearly $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.

UFC Fight Night odds

Leon Edwards (-250) vs. Belal Muhammad (+210)
Misha Cirkunov (-135) vs. Ryan Spann (+115)
Dan Ige (-120) vs. Gavin Tucker (+100)
Angela Hill (-380) vs. Ashley Yoder (+310)
Manel Kape (-130) vs. Matheus Nicolau Pereira (+110)
Darren Stewart (-175) vs. Eryk Anders (+155)
JJ Aldrich (-145) vs. Cortney Casey (+125)
Rani Yahya (-300) vs. Ray Rodriguez (+250)
Charles Jourdain (-250) vs. Marcelo Rojo (+210)
Jonathan Martinez (-280) vs. Davey Grant (+240)
Gloria de Paula (-160) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (+140)
Matthew Semelsberger (-130) vs. Jason Witt (+110)