Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen both say they believe their showdown Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen should be for the top contender's spot in the featherweight division. As such, both combatants intend to treat it as the fight of their lives. The showdown of ranked contenders anchors the main card from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. The No. 5-ranked Kattar has faced the stronger competition and has a greater following because of his relentless style, but he has lost two of his last three fights. The No. 6-ranked Allen has won all nine of his UFC fights but is making a major leap in level of competition and headlining for the first time in his career.
The main UFC fight card is at 7 p.m. ET. The UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen odds from Caesars Sportsbook list Allen as the -125 favorite (risk $125 to win $100) on the money line, while Kattar returns +105. In the co-main event, veteran welterweight contenders take the spotlight as Max Griffin (-165) faces Tim Means (+145). Before locking in any UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine combat analyst Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's picks are up more than $13,000. The accomplished MMA analyst kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January by advising SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in the featherweight main event. Kattar's lopsided unanimous-decision victory gave Marley's followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen in sight, Marley has studied the card from top to bottom and revealed his top selections. Marley's UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen preview
The winner could be immediately viable for a title shot in a division that might soon see significant movement at the top. Current champion Alexander Volkanovski has defended the title four times and he has shown interest in moving up to lightweight and challenging for a second belt. He is believed to be the top candidate for the first lightweight title defense by Islam Makhachev, who beat Charles Oliveira for the vacant title Saturday at UFC 280.
If Volkanovski vacates the featherweight title, the winner of Saturday's main event could be in line to compete for the title. Former title-holder Max Holloway, who is now the top-ranked contender, could be under consideration but he lost three times to Volkanovski. Second-ranked Yair Rodriguez and third-ranked Brian Ortega would be in the mix, but Kattar or Allen would at least be in the conversation, even if they might need one more win.
Kattar (23-6) is a pure boxer-brawler whose profile rose in a lopsided loss to Holloway last January because of his durability and resilience. The 34-year-old Boston native lost a controversial decision to the plodding Josh Emmett in June but has received performance bonuses in three consecutive outings.
Allen (18-1) has long been regarded as one of the division's most promising prospects, but his momentum has been slowed by numerous long layoffs and a relatively modest slate of opponents. However, the 28-year-old English fighter gained some attention for his first-round knockout of one-time contender Dan Hooker in March. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here.
Top UFC Fight Night picks
We'll share one of Marley's UFC Fight Night selections here: He is supporting Josh Fremd (-165) to get his hand raised against Tresean Gore (+145) in a battle of middleweight prospects on the main card.
Gore (5-2) is an explosive athlete and power puncher whose UFC debut came with plenty of anticipation after he earned his spot on the roster with two impressive outings on "The Ultimate Fighter" last year. But the 28-year-old South Carolina native has come up short in each of his first two appearances with the promotion and is coming off a stoppage loss to fellow prospect Cody Brundage in July. A third consecutive defeat could put his standing with the UFC in jeopardy.
Fremd (9-3) is considered a versatile prospect who joined the UFC following strong runs in various promotions, including a 4-1 mark in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. The Pennsylvania native made his UFC debut in April and dropped a decision to rising prospect Anthony Hernandez.
"Both combatants have solid striking and power. Fremd is the more experienced fighter and I favor him on the ground," Marley told SportsLine. "The striking could be close, but I haven't seen enough from Gore yet to think he can put it all together. I will take Fremd to hand him another TKO loss." See who else to back right here.
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Marley also has strong picks for Kattar vs. Allen and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter who "has more power and takedown upside" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those UFC picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $13,000 on MMA in the past three years, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, and best bets here
Arnold Allen (-125) vs. Calvin Kattar (+105)
Max Griffin (-165) vs. Tim Means (+145)
Chase Hooper (-245) vs. Steve Garcia (+205)
Dustin Jacoby (-155) vs. Khalil Rountree (+135)
Marcos Rogerio De Lima (-230) vs. Andrei Arlovski (+195)
Jun Yong Park (-240) vs. Joseph Holmes (+200)
Waldo Acosta (-210) vs. Jared Vanderaa (+180)
Phil Hawes (-160) vs. Roman Dolidze (+140)
Josh Fremd (-165) vs. Tresean Gore (+145)
