UFC Fight Night 172: Eye vs Calvillo - Predictions, Odds, Picks

• Originally set to be the UFC’s first event held in Kazakhstan, Fight Night 172 will now be held live in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
• Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo will compete in the main event which is surely set to crown a number-one contender for the flyweight championship
• Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori will settle their bad blood, stemming from a canceled fight last month, in the co-main event

As was the case with many other UFC events over the past three months, Fight Night 172 went through significant changes before being finalized for this Saturday.

The card was originally set to take place at the Astana Arena in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. It was to be the UFC’s first event ever held in the country. However, due to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, all recent UFC events have been moved back to the United States, the Fight Night 172 being held at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.

Another notable change was, allegedly, to the main event of the card. Although not officially announced, the original main event was expected to be a bantamweight fight between Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan – potentially as a number-one contender bout. However, when former champion Henry Cejudo retired, Yan was announced to be challenging Jose Aldo in the near future for the now-vacant bantamweight title.

The new main event between Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo was announced and will also, most likely, serve as a number-one contender fight.

UFC Fight Night 172 Odds

All odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Jessica “Evil” Eye (15-7, 1 no-contest)

Jessica Eye is no stranger to the top of the flyweight division. A natural flyweight, Eye began in the UFC fighting in the bantamweight division as the flyweight division was non-existent.

She had very little success at 135lbs, finishing her time in the division on a four-fight losing streak. Luckily, the promotion would open up a women’s flyweight division, and Eye, now fighting at her more natural weight, went on to win her first three fights in a row, earning her her first UFC title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.

Unfortunately for Eye, like many others, she fell victim to Shevchenko, losing via second-round knockout. She would bounce back late last year, defeating Viviane Araujo, albeit at catchweight as Eye had missed weight by more than five pounds.

Standing at 5 ft. 6 in. and having a reach of 66 inches, the former title challenger fights out of Las Vegas, recently changing gyms to work with the Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts school. Fighting professionally since 2008, Eye ranks as the number-one flyweight in the division after the champion and is seen as the 12th-best pound-for-pound women’s fighter in the UFC.

Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1)

On the opposite side of things, Cynthia Calvillo has spent her UFC career in the strawweight division. After a loss to Carla Esparza in 2017, Calvillo went on a two-fight winning streak, defeating both Poliana Botelho and Cortney Casey. He latest fight was late last year. She took on Marina Rodriguez and the bout was ultimately declared a draw. Like Jessica Eye, Calvillo came into her last fight overweight. This Saturday will be Calvillo’s flyweight debut.

Fighting since 2010, Calvillo is another fighter to have recently changed camps, now training with the American Kickboxing Academy. She will be at a height disadvantage of two inches as well as a reach disadvantage of two inches. She leaves the strawweight division as the number-10 ranked fighter.

Our Pick: Jessica Eye via decision.

Karl Roberson vs Marvin Vettori – Middleweight Division

Karl “Baby K” Roberson (9-2)

Karl Roberson was riding a two-fight winning streak heading into his original scheduled bout with Marvin Vettori. He has defeated Wellington Turman by decision and Roman Kopylov by submission. He was set to face Vettori on May but, on top of missing weight at 187.5-pounds, Roberson was ultimately removed from the card due to rhabdomyolysis – which can be caused by strenuous exercise.

A pro since 2015, Roberson at the Killer B Combat Sports Academy with trainer Brian Wright. He stands at 6 ft. 1 in. tall and has a reach of 74 inches. Born in New Jersey, Roberson also has a less-than-immaculate professional kickboxing record of 0-3.

Marvin Vettori (14-4-1)

Make no mistake about it: Marvin Vettori was not pleased with Karl Roberson’s last-minute pull-out of their original May 13 fight. So much so that the two fighters got into a heated altercation when they crossed paths in a hotel lobby following the weigh-ins. Vettori was very vocal of what he thought about Roberson.

*Warning: video contains very, very coarse language*

Vettori has made a decent name for himself in the UFC. Following a narrow split-decision loss to the now-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Vettori has won two unanimous decisions in a row over Cazar Ferreira and Andrew Sanchez.

Vettori stands one-inch shorter than Roberson but has an equal 74 inch reach. The Italian-born fighter trains in his home country with the Stabile Fight Team. Fighting since 2011, he holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Filippo Stabile. He has yet to break into the middleweight division’s top-15.

Our Pick: Marvin Vettori via TKO

Merab Dvalishvili vs Ray Borg – Bantamweight Division

Merab Dvalishvili (10-4)

Following last week’s incredible performance by Aljamain Sterling, another Matt Serra-Ray Longo student will have his chance to shine in the bantamweight division. After suffering three losses in a row, Dvalishvili has rebounded with three unanimous decision wins in a row over fighters like Brad Katona and, earlier this year, against Casey Kenney.

Merab Dvalishvili was born in Georgia but currently trains in New York with the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Standing at 5 ft. 6 in. tall, Dvalishvili possesses a reach of 68 inches. Fighting since 2014, the 29-year-old will be making his sixth UFC appearance Saturday night.

Ray “Tazmexican Devil” Borg (13-5)

Ray Borg has not had it easy over the past few years. Not only did he lose his title shot against Demetrious Johnson and get his eye injured at the now infamous Conor McGregor dolley throwing event, but Borg has also seemed to be his own worst enemy when cutting weight. Borg missed weight in two of his last four fights, in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. In his most recent fight, although he made the weight, Borg was defeated by Ricky Simon via split-decision just one month ago.

Borg will be at a physical disadvantage in this fight, giving up two inches of height and four inches of reach. The American-born fighter trains at Jackson’s MMA Acoma. He is known for his gaidojutsu style and is a former King of the Cage and LFC fighter.

Our Pick: Merab Dvalishvili via decision

Andre Fili vs Charles Jourdain – Featherweight Division

Andre “The Fury” Fili (20-7)

Just as Andre Fili seems to be putting something together, he has his momentum taken away. After two wins in a row a few years back, he suffered a set back in 2018 when he was defeated by Michael Johnson. He bounced back after the loss, once again winning two straight. However, his last fight, earlier this year, would once again see him suffer a defeat, this time at the hands of Sodiq Yusuff via unanimous decision.

The Washington native trains in California as a member of the Team Alpha Male gym. Standing at 5 ft. 11 in. tall, Fili also has a reach of 74 inches. Fighting since 2009, Fili has been a featherweight fighter his entire career. He is currently unranked by the UFC.

Charles “Air” Jourdain (10-2)

This will be the third appearance in the UFC for Charles Jourdain, where he has gone 1-1. After losing his promotional debut against Des Green via unanimous decision, Jourdain bounced back by defeating Doo Ho Choi with an incredible left hand that knocked his opponent out. This will be his first fight of 2020.

The Canadian fighter will stand two inches shorter than Fili and will be up against a five-inch reach disadvantage in the fight. Training at the Academie Pro Star MMA gym, the 24-year-old trains under coach Eric Bertrand.

Our Pick: Andre Fili via TKO

Jordan Espinosa vs Mark De La Rosa – Bantamweight Division

Jordan Espinosa (14-7)

Jordan Espinosa is still a newcomer to the UFC. After a great appearance on the Dana White Contender Series, where he would win his fight via TKO, Espinosa went on to then win his UFC debut last March by unanimous decision. However, since then, Espinosa has dropped two in a row, both by first-round submissions against Matt Schnell and Alex Perez.

The American fighter stands at 5 ft. 6 in. and has a reach of 69 inches. He trains out of New Mexico with Luttrell’s MMA. He is 30-years-old.

Mark “Bumblebee” De La Rosa (11-4)

Like his opponent, Mark De La Rosa enters this contest Saturday night on a losing streak – three fights in a row, to be exact. Alex Perez and Kai Kara-France both defeated De La Rosa via unanimous decision. In his most recent fight, De La Rosa took on Raulian Paiva who cleanly knocked him out in the second round. He has fluctuated between flyweight and bantamweight throughout his career.

Fighting professionally since 2014, De La Rosa currently trains in Texas with Factory X. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He will match height with his opponent Saturday night but will be at a four-inch reach disadvantage.

Our Pick: Jordan Espinosa via decision.