UFC Vegas 44 Prelims Undercard Odds, Predictions, Picks

• A closer look at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night prelims and who’s likely to win.
• A short-notice fight added to the card: Jared Vanderaa vs Azamat Murzakanov.

Maki Pitolo vs Dusko Todorovic – Middleweight Division Odds, Pick, Prediction

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

This is a very even matchup and while Pitolo is on a losing streak I believe that this is due to the fact that he has faced much tougher opposition during his time in the UFC. This is a must-win for Pitolo if he wants to remain in the UFC and I believe that will give him the extra edge over Dusko Todorovic.

Our Pick

Maki Pitolo by KO/TKO/DQ (+650)

Manel Kape vs Zhaglas Zhumagulov – Flyweight Division

Zhaglas Zhumagulov made it look easy when he viciously submitted Jerome Rivera in round 1 in his most recent fight at UFC 264, however, his next opponent is many levels above Rivera. Former Rizin champion Manel Kape most recently impressed the fans when he broke his two-fight losing streak to KO Ode Osbourne via flying knee and follow-up strikes. This is a really fun matchup and both fighters will be trading strikes from start to finish.

Kape who is five years younger than his opponent will not want to leave it in the hands of the judges as his most recent loss was a split decision where many argued that Kape should have won the fight.

Our Pick

Manel Kape by KO/TKO/DQ Round 1 (+500)

Jake Matthews vs Jeremiah Wells – Welterweight Division

Jake Matthews has not impressed in his last two fights as he lost to Sean Brady via arm-triangle choke in round 3 and prior to that won a decision vs Diego Sanchez who was well past his prime.

Jeremiah Wells is on a 3 fight winning streak and most recently won his UFC debut via a massive right hook vs Warlley Alves.

Wells fights with more urgency and throws harder strikes than Matthews which will give him the edge in this matchup.

Our Pick

Jeremiah Wells by KO/TKO/DQ Round 1 (+700)

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Cheyanne Buys vs Mallory Martin – Women’s Strawweight Division

Buys looked sensational last July when she knocked out Gloria de Paula via head kick and follow-up strikes in round 1 and seems to be making huge leaps of improvements between each fight camp.

Mallory Martin is coming off a loss to Polyana Viana and prior to that earned herself a hard-fought victory vs Hannah Cifers where she won by submission. The momentum seems to be with Cheyanne Buys and she will be looking to make another statement and finish this fight in spectacular fashion.

Our Pick

Cheyanne Buys by KO/TKO/DQ Round 1 (+1000)

Alonzo Menifield vs William Knight – Light Heavyweight Division

Alonzo Menifield is the more complete fighter here and will look to engage in the clinch as much as possible in order to mitigate the threat of his opponent’s notorious punching power.

I can see Menifield wearing his opponent down over the first round and a half with a mixture of striking combinations and grappling transitions against the fence before going for a choke.

Our Pick

Alonzo Menifield by Submission in round 2 (+3000)

Claudio Puelles vs Chris Gruetzemacher – Lightweight Division

Puelles will be looking to extend his winning streak to 4 this Saturday and based on his last performance where he defeated Jordan Leavitt, he definitely has what it takes to do just that.

Chris Gruetzemacher on the other hand had a very good performance in his last fight where he defeated Rafa Garcia via Unanimous Decision last June. Puelles has been the more consistent fighter in recent years.

Our Pick

Claudio Puelles by Decision (+200)

Jared Vanderaa vs Azamat Murzakanov – Heavyweight Division

Azamat Murzakanov impressed UFC president Dana White when he knocked out Matheus Scheffel in round 1 of his “Tuesday Night Contender Series” fight.

That was enough to earn him a UFC contract and he makes his debut vs Jared Vanderaa who has a mixed record with 12 wins and 6 defeats. I think Murzakanov has huge potential in this division and will look to replicate his Contender Series performance to take him to 11-0.

Our pick

Azamat Marzakanov by KO/TKO Round 1 (+240)

Alex Morono vs Mickey Gall – Welterweight Division

While Mickey Gall possesses a dangerous submission game, there is no doubt here that Alex Morono is the more well-rounded fighter and also has a solid grappling skill set.

Morono has also faced tougher opponents, in his most recent bout he defeated German UFC fighter David Zawada who is known for submitting Khabib Nurmagomedovs brother Abubakar back in November 2019. Previous to that Morono also got a TKO finish vs Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone last May.

Our Pick

Alex Morono by Unanimous Decision (+140)

Louis Smolka vs Vince Morales – Bantamweight Division

Louis Smolka is the more well-rounded fighter compared to his opponent Vince Morales and I can see this fight going similarly to Smolka’s most recent UFC fight in which he got his opponent to the ground and got the TKO.

I’m picking Submission as the method however as this is generally how Smolka wins his fights.

Our Pick

Louis Smolka by Submission in round 2 (+1000)

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