- Top-10 Light heavyweights main event this Fight Night card
- Magomed Ankalaev looks for his eighth win in a row
- Former title challenger Marlon Moraes co-main events
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Ankalaev
The odds for this match are provided by the FanDuel sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to FanDuel and place a bet.
| Fighter | Odds |
| Thiago Santos | +440 BET HERE |
| Magomed Ankalaev | -650 BET HERE |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Marlon Moraes | +205 BET HERE |
| Song Yadong | -260 BET HERE |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Sodiq Yusuff | -245 BET HERE |
| Alex Caceres | +194 BET HERE |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Khalil Rountree Jr. | +104 BET HERE |
| Karl Roberson | -128 BET HERE |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Drew Dober | -178 BET HERE |
| Terrance McKinney | +144 BET HERE |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Alex Pereira | -178 BET HERE |
| Bruno Silva | +144 BET HERE |
UFC Fight Night Santos vs Ankalaev Picks
Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev – Light heavyweight division
Our Pick: Magomed Ankalaev (-650)
Marlon Moraes vs. Song Yadong – Bantamweight division
Our Pick: Song Yadong (-260)
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Alex Caceres – Featherweight division
Our Pick: Alex Caceres (+194)
Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Karl Roberson – Light heavyweight division
Our Pick: Karl Roberson (-128)
Drew Dober vs. Terrance McKinney – Lightweight division
Our Pick: Drew Dober (-178)
Alex Pereira vs. Bruno Silva – Middleweight division
Our Pick: Bruno Silva (+144)
Bet on Santos vs Ankalaev Here!
Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev – Light heavyweight division
| Thiago Santos | TALE OF THE TAPE | Magomed Ankalaev |
| 38 | Age | 29 |
| 6 ft. 2 in. | Height | 6 ft. 3 in. |
| 76 in. | Reach | 75 in. |
| 22-9 | Record | 16-1 |
With number-five ranked Thiago Santos taking on number-six ranked Magomed Ankalaev, we could very well be looking at a number-one contender bout for the light heavyweight title this Saturday night.
A former title challenger, Thiago Santos had lost two in a row after coming back from a long hiatus due to knee surgery. But he enters this contest coming off of a unanimous decision win over Johnny Walker last October.
Magomed Ankalaev, who has won his last seven in a row, most recently defeated Volkan Oezdemir last October at UFC 267. He hasn’t lost in the UFC since his debut in 2018.
Ankalaev boasts a master of sport in sambo while Santos holds balck belts in both muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
It is Magomed Ankalev who is the favorite at -650 – the largest betting favorite on the main card.
To find out how to place your bets for UFC Fight Night, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.
Marlon Moraes vs. Song Yadong – Bantamweight division
| Marlon Moraes | TALE OF THE TAPE | Song Yadong |
| 33 | Age | 24 |
| 5 ft. 6 in. | Height | 5 ft. 8 in. |
| 67 in. | Reach | 67 in. |
| 23-9-1 | Record | 18-5-1, 1 no-contest |
Since losing his title fight against Henry Cejudo in 2019, Marlon Moraes has struggled, going just 1-3 in his last four fights and losing his last three in a row via TKO.
On the other side of things, Song Yadong has won back-to-back fights, most recently having defeated Julio Arce via second-round TKO.
Despite holding black belts in muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Moraes enters this fight as the +205 underdog.
Yadong, a product of Team Alpha Male, is nine-years younger and two-inches taller.
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Alex Caceres – Featherweight division
| Sodiq Yusuff | TALE OF THE TAPE | Alex Caceres |
| 28 | Age | 33 |
| 5 ft. 9 in. | Height | 5 ft. 9 in. |
| 71 in. | Reach | 73.5 in. |
| 11-2 | Record | 19-12, 1 no-contest |
Don’t let his record fool you – Alex Caceres has been on a career resurgence lately, having won his last five fights in a row. He most recently defeated Seung Woo Choi via second-round submission, earning him performance of the night.
Sodiq Yusuff is coming off of his first UFC loss. Having won his first four fights in the promotion, Yusuff found himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision against Arnold Allen last April.
Despite this, Yusuff is still considered a big -245 favorite despite Caceres’ reach advantage.
Bet on Santos vs Ankalaev Here!
Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Karl Roberson – Light heavyweight division
| Khalil Rountree Jr. | TALE OF THE TAPE | Karl Roberson |
| 32 | Age | 31 |
| 6 ft. 1 in. | Height | 6 ft. 1 in. |
| 76.5 in. | Reach | 74 in. |
| 9-5, 1 no-contest | Record | 9-4 |
Both of these light heavyweights are looking to get things on track as neither man has been able to find consistent success within the UFC promotion.
Khalil Rountree is coming off of a win over Modestas Bukauskas last September, but it was Bukauskas who suffered a knee injury in the fight, causing the doctor to announce Rountree as the winner via TKO. He has lost his two fights prior to that bout.
Karl Roberson has lost back-to-back contests – most recently being submitted with an ankle lock by Brendan Allen last April at UFC 261.
Roberson is the slight favorite heading into Saturday’s matchup.
Drew Dober vs. Terrance McKinney – Lightweight division
| Drew Dober | TALE OF THE TAPE | Terrance McKinney |
| 33 | Age | 27 |
| 5 ft. 8 in. | Height | 5 ft. 10 in. |
| 70 in. | Reach | 74 in. |
| 23-11, 1 no-contest | Record | 12-3 |
Terrance McKinney has two UFC fights under his belt and has yet to leave the first round. After winning his debut in seven seconds, McKinney most recently defeated Fares Ziam via first-round submission this past February.
Drew Dober, a UFC veteran of more than 15 fights has lost his last two in a row – most recently dropping a decision to Brad Riddell at UFC 263 last June. However, he has three performance bonuses over his last four fights.
Dober has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and black belt in taekwondo but McKinney has the height and reach advantage. But his lack of UFC experience makes McKinney the underdog at +144.
Alex Pereira vs. Bruno Silva – Middleweight division
| Alex Pereira | TALE OF THE TAPE | Bruno Silva |
| 34 | Age | 32 |
| 6 ft. 4 in. | Height | 6 ft. |
| 80 in. | Reach | 74 in. |
| 4-1 | Record | 22-6 |
Having won his last four fights in a row, Saturday will mark only the second UFC fight for Alex Pereira – who most recently defeated Andreas Michailidis via second-round TKO last November at UFC 268.
Despite Pereira’s early promise, he has nowhere near the experience of Bruno Silva, who will be making his fourth octagon appearance and who has won his last seven fights in a row.
Pereira does have the physical advantages however, boasting a four-inch height advantage and six-inch reach advantage. He is a -178 favorite.
Bet on Santos vs Ankalaev Here!
How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev
| Event | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev |
| Location | UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada |
| Time | Saturday, March 12, 5 PM EST |
| How to watch | ESPN, ESPN+, TSN |
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Ryan Bristlon
Expert on UFC
Ryan Bristlon is a Canadian writer currently residing in Hamilton, Ontario. He studied print and broadcast journalism at Humber College and has been a lifelong fan of the sport of hockey and the NHL.
Email: [email protected]
