The UFC continues its live event schedule on Saturday, October 2, with UFC Fight Night 193 (Vegas 38). The headline bout for this event is a light heavyweight showdown between Thiago “Marreta” Santos and fellow Brazilian knockout artist Johnny Walker. An exciting matchup on paper, as both fighters like to approach fights looking to trade blows rather than take down opponents, it is a headline that should deliver fireworks for the thousands of fans in attendance at the UFC Apex facility, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Vegas 38 presents a great fight card from top to bottom. Kevin Holland will be looking to bounce back from two straight defeats when he goes up against Kyle Daukaus. And at Middleweight, Misha Curnikov will be dropping down a weight class to take on Krzysztof Jotko. Talented Women’s Bantamweight striker Aspen Ladd faces off against fellow fast rising American Macy Chiasson. All these are to come after six solid bouts on the preliminary card to give the crowd a taste of what’s to come. It’s not an event you want to miss. We have the best odds, tips, picks, and predictions.
UFC Fight Night 193 (Santos vs. Walker) General Information:
- Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
- TV-Time: ESPN+, 4:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: UFC Apex
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Fights: 6 Fights on the Main Card and 7 fights on the Preliminary Card
- Main Event: Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker
Expert Pick #1 – Santos to Win @-157
Thiago Santos has been on a deep slide in the octagon in recent times. From fighting Jon Jones for the title in 2019 to losing back to back against Glover Teixeira and Alexander Rakic, he has fallen down the light heavyweight rankings in tragic fashion. Winning this bout is crucial if he is to remain relevant at 205 pounds. He faces off against fellow Brazilian striker Johnny Walker. Walker comes into this fight after snapping a two-fight losing streak with his TKO victory against Ryan Spann. He possesses the reach and the momentum advantages in this matchup. While Walker ‘s form is usually unpredictable, his dynamic striking would certainly pose a problem for Santos.
What “Marreta” brings to this fight however, is his experience which he has in abundance, and a hunger to prove himself once again. This bout should not be going the distance by all indications, and a Thiago Santos win by flash KO/TKO is our expert’s prediction for this one.
Records: Thiago Santos 21-9-0 | Johnny Walker 18-5-0 Main Card – Light Heavyweight (205lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
Expert Pick #2 – Holland to Win @-169
Since his astounding KO victory over Jacare Souza back in 2020, Kevin Holland has not been able to secure a victory in the octagon, losing two back to back via Unanimous Decision. This fight against Kyle Daukaus presents a chance for him to get back to winning ways. Holland is arguably the better striker and grappler of the two men, and he should be able to control this fight both on the feet and on the ground.
Daukaus has found it hard to replicate his title winning form from Cage Fury in the UFC, and he enters this fight on the back of 2 losses in his last 3. It is hard to see him breaking into the win column considering his opponent, and our experts predict a win for Kevin Holland in this bout.
Records: Kevin Holland 21-7-0] | Kyle Daukaus 10-2-0 Main Card – Middleweight (185lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Expert Pick #3 – Ladd to Win @-150
Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson is another fight to look out for on the main card for Vegas 38. Two talented bantamweights with similar records, Chiasson has lost only once in her last eight, and Ladd has lost only once as well in her last 9 (with that defeat coming against the number 1 bantamweight contender at the time Germaine De Randamie).
Number 11 ranked bantamweight Macy Chiasson has a significant 6-inch reach advantage and will be looking to keep the fight on the feet and at a distance.Aspen Ladd (#6 ranked) usually has a straightforward path to victory which is to take down her opponents and ground and pound them to TKO/KO. The fight could go either way depending on how well both fighters implement their strategies, however, our experts predict a narrow win for Ladd as her own game plan has very rarely failed.
Records: Aspen Ladd 9-1-0 |Macy Chiasson 8-1-0 Main Card – Women’s Bantamweight (135lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Complete Card & Predictions for the Night
UFC Fight Night returns with a packed card in front of a full crowd at the Apex facility Las Vegas, Nevada. A blockbuster headline bout amongst a number of other great fights, there are exciting matchups to look out for in the preliminary and main cards. Here are the Predictions, Odds, Bets and Tips for this weekend:
Main Event
- Light Heavyweight (205lbs): Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker – Santos via TKO/KO
Main Card
- Middleweight (185lbs): Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukas – Holland via KO/TKO
- Welterweight (170lbs): Alex Oliveira vs. Niko Price – Price via Submission
- Middleweight (185lbs): Misha Curnikov vs. Krzysztof Jotko – Jotko via Decision
- Women’s Bantamweight (135lbs): Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson – Ladd via Decision
- Lightweight (155lbs): Alexander Hernandez vs. Mike Breeden – Hernandez via Decision
Preliminary Card
- Lightweight (155lbs): Joe Solecki vs. Jared Gordon – Solecki via Decision
- Women’s Flyweight (125lbs): Antonina Shevchenko vs. Casey O’Neill – O’Neill via Decision
- Women’s Bamtamweight (135lbs): Bette Correia vs. Karol Rosa – Rosa via KO/TKO
- Lightweight (155lbs): Devonte Smith vs. Jamie Mullarkey – Smith via KO/TKO
- Middleweight (185lbs): Douglas Andrade vs. Gaetano Pirrello – Andrade via Decision
- Welterweight (170lbs): Alejandro Perez vs. Johnny Eduardo – Perez via KO/TKO
- Women’s Bantamweight (135lbs): Shanna Young vs. Stephanie Egger – Young via Decision
𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙀𝙏𝘼 looking to make a statement this Saturday 🔨
— UFC (@ufc) September 30, 2021
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