Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt have a history of giving fight fans their money's worth, and both explosive bantamweights vow to do so again Saturday when they square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night. Their important clash tops the nationally televised main card (7 p.m. ET) from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. The combatants have four consecutive performance bonuses between them, and many observers believe this matchup is likely to produce another such reward. The fourth-ranked Garbrandt is coming off a knockout of veteran Raphael Assuncao, while the third-ranked Font got a bonus for his first-round stoppage of former title contender Marlon Moraes.
The main event is a pick'em, with Font and Garbrandt listed at -110 (risk $110 to win $100) in the latest UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt odds from William Hill Sportsbook. In the co-main event, Yan Xianonan (-125) takes on veteran Carla Esparza (+105) in a battle of strawweight contenders. Before locking in any UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt picks of your own, make sure you see the latest 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 has already proven his mettle to SportsLine members. Over the past two UFC Fight Nights, Parker has gone 14-2 to give his followers a profit of nearly $1,300. His 7-1 record last week included telling SportsLine members to back Marina Rodriquez (-200) against Michelle Waterson (+175) in the strawweight main event. Rodriguez controlled the action to earn a runaway unanimous decision. Anyone who has followed Parker already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt in sight, Parker has studied the MMA odds and matchups from every angle and released his top picks. You can only see them here.
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt preview
Parker knows the main event provides a matchup between two of the most explosive fighters in a division that has seen recent movement at the top. Aljamain Sterling is the new champion after former champ Petr Yan was disqualified in the fourth round of their title fight in March at UFC 259.
UFC president Dana White has pushed for a rematch between Sterling and Yan, who was winning on the scorecards before landing an illegal knee. However, Sterling has been noncommittal about the rematch, leaving the door open to Saturday's winner for a potential title bid.
Font (18-4) has emerged as one of the division's most versatile fighters and his growing resume is difficult to ignore. His recent win streak started with a victory over Sergio Pettis, who has since left the promotion and become Bellator's bantamweight champion.
The 33-year-old Massachusetts native fought just once in 2020 and stopped former title-challenger Marlon Moraes in the first round of their December clash.
Garbrandt (12-3) won the title with one of the most memorable bantamweight performances in recent memory. He outclassed long-reigning champion Dominick Cruz with a cocktail of fundamentally sound and flashy moves in their December 2016 fight. Garbrandt got his hand raised by unanimous decision.
He lost the title and a subsequent rematch against rival T.J, Dillashaw, who would later receive a two-year suspension related to the use of banned substances. The 29-year-old power striker snapped a three-fight skid with a stoppage win over Raphael Assuncao last June. You can only see Parker's coveted Font vs. Garbrandt picks here.
Top UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt predictions
We'll share one of Parker's UFC Fight Night picks here: He is supporting Felicia Spencer (-150) to get her hand raised against Norma Dumont (+130) in a meeting of women's featherweight contenders on the main card.
Spencer (8-2) caught the attention of MMA observers with a 6-0 run through the Invicta FC promotion that included four wins by stoppage. She finished her stint there by becoming the promotion's featherweight champion and made her UFC debut by knocking out veteran contender Megan Anderson in the first round. Spencer's lone defeats came against former champion Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes. The 30-year-old Canadian lost a five-round decision in the title fight last June.
Dumont (5-1), 30, is a Brazilian grappling specialist who has split her first two UFC appearances, both of which came last year. She is coming off a decision victory against Ashlee Evans-Smith last November.
"Look for Spencer to bull her way forward into the clinch and make Dumont miserable with her pace against the cage," Parker told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt picks
Parker also has strong picks for Font vs. Garbrandt and other top fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He is also backing one fighter who has a "tough pace that not many can compete with." Those UFC picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Font vs. Garbrandt? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed UFC Fight Night picks, all from the ultimate insider who's up nearly $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt odds, fight card
Rob Font (-110) vs. Cody Garbrandt (-110)
Yan Xianonan (-125) vs. Carla Esparza (+105)
Justin Tafa (-190) vs. Jared Vanderra (+170)
Felicia Spencer (-150) vs. Norma Dumont (+130)
David Dvorak (-150) vs. Raulian Paiva (+130)
Jack Hermansson (-155) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (+135)
Bill Algeo (-120) vs. Ricardo Ramos (+100)
Court McGee (-110) vs. Claudio Silva (-110)
Damir Hadzovic (-120) vs. Yancy Medeiros (+100)
Joshua Culibao (-250) vs. Yilan Sha (+210)
Bruno Silva (-320) vs. Victor Rodriguez (+260)
Damir Ismagulov (-550) vs. Rafael Alves (+425)
