UFC Vegas 53 Font vs Vera: Prelims Odds, Predictions, Picks

• Romanov vs Sherman added to the card.

• Yohan Lainesse makes his UFC debut.

Featured Prelim

Alexandr Romanov vs Chase Sherman – Heavyweight Division

The odds for this bout are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to DraftKings and place a bet.

This fight was actually meant to happen last weekend at UFC Vegas 52 however Sherman was unable to compete due to an undisclosed injury and was added to this card last minute.Chase Sherman was cut from the UFC back in 2018 after a streak of three consecutive losses and was signed back to the company in 2020 after a series of wins in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Upon his return Sherman earned a second round TKO victory over Ike Villanueva but has since suffered three losses in a row, the first two by decision vs Andre Arlovski and Parker Porter and most recently a first round submission loss to Jake Collier. On the other hand Alexandr Romanov enters this fight with an unbeaten pro MMA record boasting fifteen wins, four of which were earned in the UFC octagon. Romanov also likes to mix it up and has a variety of wins by submission as well as knockouts.

Our Pick

Alexandr Romanov by submission in round 1 (+100)

Daniel Da Silva vs Francisco Figueiredo – Flyweight Division

The odds for this bout are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to DraftKings and place a bet.

Daniel Da Silva got off to a rocky start in his UFC career as he lost his debut to Jeff Molina via TKO in the second round and will be looking to set the record straight in this fight. Francisco Figueiredo, who happens to be the current Flyweight champion’s brother, won a close decision over Jerome Rivera in his debut before going on to lose his next fight vs Jared Gordon via unanimous decision, where he displayed a low fight IQ.

Our Pick

Daniel Da Silva via KO/TKO/DQ in round 1 (+700)

Gabe Green vs Yohan Lainesse – Welterweight Division

Yohan Laniesse looked fantastic in his contender series fight where he knocked out Justin Berlinson in the first round. He enters the UFC with an undefeated pro MMA record and most of his wins have been first round finishes. Gabe Green lost his UFC debut to Daniel Rodriguez via unanimous decision before going on to defeat Philip Rowe in his next fight, also by unanimous decision. Green has lost two of his fights by first round KO but also has several wins via first round finish. Laniesse has been the more active fighter recently and has yet to face an opponent who can challenge his skillset.

Our Pick

Yohan Lainesse by KO/TKO/DQ in round 1 (+350)

Nathan Levy vs Mike Breeden – Lightweight Division

After impressing UFC president Dana White on the contender series, Nathan Levy went on to lose his UFC debut to Rafa Garcia via unanimous decision, this would be his first pro MMA career loss. Mike Breeden also lost his UFC debut to Alexander Hernandez who ended Breeden’s night early with a devastating overhand right knockout. With Breeden coming off a KO loss and Levy coming off a close decision loss it’s likely that Levy will look to correct his mistakes from the last fight and get back to his winning ways.

Our Pick

Nathan Levy by judges decision (+120)

Gina Mazany vs Shanna Young – Women’s Flyweight Division

Both fighters enter this bout with a very mixed record however Gina Mazany has had better results against higher level opponents. Shanna Young is yet to get a win in the UFC and has gone 0-2 so far in the promotion, suffering losses to Macy Chiasson and Stephanie Egger. Gina Mazany’s most recent win was back in 2020 where she defeated Rachel Ostovic via third round TKO. Since then Mazany lost her most recent fight to Priscila Cachoeira via TKO in round 2.

Our Pick

Gina Mazany by judges decision (+165)

Tatsuro Taira vs Carlos Candelario – Flyweight Division

Two fantastic Flyweight prospects go head to head in this bout, with both making their UFC debut. Tatsuro Taira is an undefeated Japanese fighter who has smashed his way through the asian regional scene with eight finishes in the first round. Carlos Candelario also won the majority of his fights in the first round however he lost his most recent fight which took place on the contender series where he suffered a split decision loss to Victor altamirano. While both fighters have a similar record, Taira is both younger and more experienced than Candelario and always aims to end fights as quickly as possible whereas Candelario is happy to have a good scrap to try and win a decision.

Our Pick

Tatsuro Taira by submission in round 1 (+400)