UFC Fight Night 204 is a stacked card for a non-Pay-Per-View event. Headlining the Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall undercard is Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen.
Bettors can also bet on the likes of Paddy Pimblett vs. Rodrigo Vargas, Gunnar Nelson vs. Takashi Sato and Ja Herbert vs. Ilia Topuria.
UFC betting lines are available for the impressive card on Saturday.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and UFC odds for Fight Night 204. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Arnold Allen vs Dan Hooker
It’s hard not to give Allen credit with his 17-1 record, but despite having only one defeat, the class edge goes to Hooker.
The New Zealand brawler was retired for what felt like a couple of days before returning to fight Nasrat Haqparast, which was an easy decision win.
It led to a fight against Islam Makhachev and it was a fight he was never going to win. The first-round submission was predictable, but Allen is a striker, so that suits Hooker.
UFC odds have Hooker at -110, so he’s the slight underdog with Allen at -120. However, the Kiwi gets our money as he’s one of the more ruthless strikers when he’s on his game.
Pick: Dan Hooker -120
Paddy Pimblett vs Rodrigo Vargas
Paddy Pimblett is one of the more unique characters in the UFC and he has a huge following with bettors.
Reckless aggression comes to mind with the 17-3 fighter, who has firmed to -450 at the sportsbook to beat Rodrigo Vargas.
Pimblett has had only one fight in the UFC, which was a devastating knockout win over Luigi Vendramini, which followed some excellent pre-UFC form.
He got into an altercation with Ilia Topuria, who also fights on the Fight Night card.
“Of course (I want that fight),” Topuria told MMAJunkie. “With a lot of honor and pride for all my people, I would love it. The truth is that I would love it. Because if you think about it, if I catch him outside of the octagon, I’m going to hand him a beating, and I’m going to have to pay for his recovery.
“This way, if he accepts a fight with me, I’m going to crack his head, and I’d get paid for beating him up.”
Despite the distractions, Pimblett should easily account for 12-4 Vargas. The 36-year-old hasn’t shown much and he’s giving away height and reach.
Pick: Paddy Pimblett by KO, TKO, DQ or Submission (-175)
Gunnar Nelson vs Takashi Sato
We’re not surprised by the betting support coming for Gunnar Nelson, who is eager to get back into the winner’s column.
Nelson hasn’t won since 2018 when beating Alex Oliveira. He lost to Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards in 2019 and hasn’t fought since, but he looks ready to go.
Takashi Sato was a late replacement, so he could be underdone, which plays into the hands of the returning Nelson.
The -450 favorite is a devastating striker at his best, and although there are concerns about the long layoff, betting online markets tell bettors all they need to know.
The odds are worth including in UFC parlay wagers and he shouldn’t have any problem putting away the challenger.
Pick: Gunnar Nelson -450
Jai Herbert vs Ilia Topuria
Ilia Topuria is one of the rising stars in the lightweight division, which could spell bad news for Jai Herbert.
Topuria is 11-0 after knocking out Ryan Hall in his UFC debut at UFC 264. There is plenty of hype surrounding the German, but he is giving away a stack of size.
Herbert towers over the -450 favorite and he has a sizable reach advantage, which could factor into the result. However, Topuria would have trained for this and he’s an explosive power puncher.
We expect Topuria to land plenty of body shots before targeting the head of Herbert later in the fight.
It should be an exciting fight, but take Topuria to score a knockout win.
Pick: Ilia Topuria -450
