Sandhagen Anchors Parlay
UFC Fight Night on Saturday features plenty of excellent fights, including the main event between Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen, who is the favorite at -165 on UFC lines.
Our UFC picks feature the main event, plus two other quality fighters throughout the night, including Holly Holm vs Yana Santos and Trevin Giles vs Preston Parsons.
Vera vs Sandhagen
We’re hoping to end our parlay with Sandhagen getting the job done against Vera. The 30-year-old had a taste of what it takes to fight for a championship, and he’s keen to get back to that level.
The 15-4 fighter comes up against a tough Vera, who is 20-7-1 and looking to get back to his best. The class is with Sandhagen, who has attracted the most attention with UFC betting odds.
He comes off a technical knockout win over Yadong Song, which was a tidy effort to prepare for the main event. It shows that he still has the power needed to stop fights.
As UFC news reported, Sandhagen believes his inner dog will come out.
“I’m going to go out, fight my (butt) off, do everything I can to win. If I get to do whatever the hell I want, I’ll do whatever the hell I want,” Sandhagen said.
“I don’t anticipate that happening. I’m going to have to make adjustments. If the dog has to come out of me to win a fight, then the dog will come out, too. I’m ready to do whatever I’ve got to do to win because I know this is my one crack at beating this guy.”
The explosive timing of @CorySandhagen is next level 😯 #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/CWclnUASAT
— UFC (@ufc) March 20, 2023
- Pick: Cory Sandhagen (-165)
Holm vs Santos
Former UFC bantamweight champion Holm returns to the UFC as a 41-year-old, but we’re not concerned.
The 14-6 fighter might have been beaten by Ketlen Vieria last year, but she didn’t have an ideal preparation.
Not many fighters have a knockout over Ronda Rousey on their record, so Holm, who just inked a six-fight deal with the UFC, is always dangerous.
UFC odds have her as the -245 to beat Santos, who is 14-6, following a two-year break. Santos hasn’t fought since being knocked out by Irene Aldana in 2021, which isn’t ideal form.
The Russian hasn’t beaten anyone of note, so we think Holm gets the job done in the co-main event. She has many weapons, including her boxing and her roundhouse kicks, so she’s a threat.
- Pick: Holly Holm (-245)
Giles vs Parsons
The sportsbook is having a tough time splitting Giles and Parsons, but we are putting Giles in our UFC parlay.
He is 15-4 following a decision win over Louis Cosce, and although that’s not an excellent form guide, it’s still a win.
The 30-year-old, who is fighting in front of his home crowd in Texas, has suffered only one recent loss, which came to the dominant Dricus du Plessis, so we’ll forgive him for that effort.
Parsons has had only one UFC fight, beating Evan Elder by decision. It was a solid performance, but not on the same level as Giles.
Include Giles at -120 in your parlay.
- Pick: Trevin Giles (-120)
