Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland are both ranked among the top 10 UFC middleweights and on Saturday, one of them will move a step closer to a title shot against Israel Adesanya. UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland will take place at company headquarters in Las Vegas. Saturday's loaded UFC card will also include Arnold Allen vs. Sodiq Yusuff in a battle between ranked flyweights as well as Nina Nunes vs. Mackenzie Dern, who are both ranked in the women's strawweight division.
Vettori is a -325 favorite (risk $325 to win $100), while Holland is a +265 underdog in the latest Vettori vs. Holland odds from William Hill Sportsbook. In the co-main event, featherweight contenders square off as Sodiq Yusuff (-130) faces Arnold Allen (+110). Before locking in any UFC Fight Night 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, he 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 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. At UFC 260, he called a dominant win for Vicente Luque (-260) against Tyron Woodley (+220) in the welterweight co-main event. Anyone who has followed Parker already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night Vettori vs. Holland fast approaching, Parker has studied the MMA odds and matchups from every angle and released his top selections. A successful parlay of those selections would result in a payday of better than 25-1. Those picks are available here.
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland preview
Vettori (16-4-1), 27, would love a second shot at Israel Adesanya, whom he faced in April 2018 and came up short in a razor-thin split decision. His effort remains the closest any middleweight has come to defeating Adesanya, and the outspoken Italian has been adamant about securing a rematch.
But first he must get past Holland (21-6), who must get a victory in order to salvage the momentum he built amid a massive run in 2020 that has rarely been matched in UFC history. Only Neil Magny and Roger Huerta have duplicated that feat.
However, the free-spirited, trash-talking Holland saw his reputation take a blow in his fight against the veteran Derek Brunson, whom he repeatedly labeled the division's gatekeeper ahead of their fight. In the cage, the 28-year-old Holland seemed more concerned with providing a one-main variety show than winning the fight. He joked and verbally jabbed at Brunson nonstop, but the veteran controlled the fight with his wrestling and earned a lopsided decision.
Holland would likely renew his status as a top-five contender should he pull off the upset of Vettori on short notice. You can only see who to back here.
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland predictions
We'll give away one of Parker's UFC Fight Night selections here: He is backing Mackenzie Dern (+120) to upset Nina Nunes (-140) in a women's strawweight bout. Nunes is making her first UFC appearance in nearly two years and is fighting just six months after giving birth, while Dern won three times in 2020 alone.
Dern is 10-1 in her career and has three first-round submissions in five UFC victories. She continues to improve as a striker, and Parker expects she'll use that stand-up game to earn Nunes' respect in the early portion of the fight. Then, she'll take the action to the ground, where she has a distinct advantage.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland picks
Parker also has strong picks for Vettori vs. Holland and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter who's heating up at just the right time to deliver an upset. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Vettori vs. Holland? And which fighter delivers a shocking upset? 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: Vettori vs. Holland odds
Marvin Vettori (-325) vs. Kevin Holland (+265)
Sodiq Yusuff (-130) vs. Arnold Allen (+110)
Aliaskhab Khizriev (-125) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+105)
Julian Marquez (-180) vs. Sam Alvey (+160)
Nina Nunes (-140) vs. Mackenzie Dern (+120)
Daniel Rodriguez (-160) vs. Mike Perry (+140)
Joe Solecki (-230) vs. Jim Miller (+195)
Mateusz Gamrot (-220) vs. Scott Holtzman (+190)
Norma Dumont (-250) vs. Erin Blanchfield (+210)
Ignacio Bahamondes (-180) vs. John Makdessi (+160)
Yorgan De Castro (-275) vs. Jarjis Danho (+235)
Jack Shore (-150) vs. Hunter Azure (+130)
Luis Saldana (-140) vs. Jordan Griffin (+120)
Da Un Jung (-140) vs. William Knight (+120)
Impa Kasanganay (-300) vs. Sasha Palatnikov (+250)
