Bets and analysis for UFC Fight Night, headlined by betting favorite Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera.
Saturday night's UFC Fight Night main event features two top-10 ranked bantamweights hoping to solidify themselves as a legit title contender in the 135 lbs division.
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera
Card: UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
Check the Latest UFC Fight Night Odds at SI Sportsbook
Prelims 4 p.m. ET
Tatsuro Taira (-225) vs. Carlos Candelario (+188)
Gina Mazany (-188) vs Shanna Young (+155)
Natan Levy (-200) vs. Mike Breeden (+165)
Gabriel Green (-138) vs. Yohan Lainesse (+115)
Alexander Romanov (-2000) vs. Chase Sherman (+1000)
Main Card 7 p.m. ET
Krzysztof Jotko (-167) vs Gerald Meershcaert (+140)
Darren Elkins (-175) vs. Tristan Connelly (+145)
Jared Gordon (+155) vs. Grant Dawson (-188)
Andre Fili (-250) vs Joanderson Brito (+205)
Andrei Arlovski (-143) vs. Jake Collier (+120)
Rob Font (-133) vs Marlon Vera (+110)
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SI's Doug Vazquez
New England Cartel member Rob Font (-133) is the slight favorite against the proud Ecuadorian fighter Marlon 'Chito' Vera. A win on Saturday night could silence some of the doubters who question the strength of schedule of both fighters. Font (2-1 in his last 3) has beaten two former contenders in the division in Marlon Moraes and Cody Garbrandt but is coming off a decision loss to Jose Aldo in December of last year. And while he was able to secure wins against Moraes and Garbrandt, both fighters were past their prime and Font could not secure a finish against either.
Vera, who has won 8 out of his last 10, has also heard about the legitimacy of his competition thus far and had serious problems in losses against ranked opponents in Aldo and Song Yadong. He has a somewhat questionable TKO win against Sugar Sean O' Malley but has also exhibited quite a strong chin and does not get finished.
In my estimation, this fight is very evenly matched, and the odds should be closer to a pick 'em. I expect the fight to be mostly upright, and there should be some exciting and violent back and forth exchanges. Both fighters are well-conditioned and are not finishing specialists, so I expect this one to go to the scorecards after five rounds. I think Chito just has a little bit more and a slightly better ground game. If he can secure some late takedowns, he should eke out a close decision.
BET: Chito Vera via DEC +275
SI MMA's Justin Barrasso
Chito Vera is coming off an impressive KO victory at UFC 268 against Frankie Edgar.
Rob Font, however, was severely beaten in his fight against Jose Aldo in December. That loss completely derailed the momentum he had built during a four-fight win streak that included a one-sided win against former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. But this is a better matchup for Font than it appears at first glance. He packs more power than Vera, and he is looking to show off some ground work that he has been working on with training partner Calvin Kattar.
Local bias aside, I'm expecting a successful night for the New England Cartel member -- even with the news that he missed weight. My pick is Font in a fight that goes the distance.
BET: Font via DEC +163
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