The Fight Analyst is looking to get back on track after a 1-2 night at UFC Vegas 60 (50-25 overall). Up next is UFC Vegas 61, let’s see who he is cashing out on this weekend!
After a week off, we are back in action this weekend at the UFC Apex. In the main event, we have a straweight showdown between two fighters looking to get into title contention in #5 Mackenzie Dern and #6 Xiaonan Yan.
The rest of this card is littered with exciting matchups that will have you at the edge of your seat. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC Vegas 61.
Mackenzie Dern vs. Xiaonan Yan
In the straweight division, we have a fight between two of he division’s best in #5 Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan.
Dern is coming off of a split-decision win over Tecia Torres and is 5-1 in her last 6 fights. She has made leaps and bounds since coming into the UFC. Her striking and wrestling are starting to catch up to her elite jiu-jitsu skills making a legit title contender.
Yan is coming off of a controversial split-decision loss that most thought she won against Marina Rodriguez. She is eager to make it right and get back into the win column this Saturday as she takes on Mackenzie Dern.
Yan has shown in previous fights that her grappling needs to improve if she wants to contend for a title. Her defensive grappling will sure be put to the test at the highest level when she takes on Dern. We have yet to see her make progression in those regards so it hard to side with Yan here. Ultimately, the fight will be relatively close until Dern is able to take the fight to the mat and get yet another submission victory.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Mackenzie Dern to win -232 |
Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
In the bantamweight division, we have a banger of a fight between Raoni Barcelos and Trevin Jones. Both fighters are on 0-2 skids and are in dire need of a win here on Saturday.
Barcelos came into the UFC guns blazing with 5 consecutives to start his career. He has since gone 0-2 and hasn’t tasted victory since defeated Khalid Taha in 2020. He’s very well-versed in all facets of MMA which will bode him will in this matchup against Trevin Jones.
Jones scored back-to-back upset finishes to start his UFC career but has since gone 0-2 and hasn’t won a fight since defeating Mario Bautista in March 2021. Jones has the power advantage in this fight, which makes him a dangerous opponent at any moment of the fight.
Jones has scored come from behind finishes against top-tier talent but he wasn’t able to do the same in his two most recent bouts. Even though Barcelos is getting up there in age, it is hard to see Jones getting a come from behind finish in this one. Barcelos should be the busier fighter on the feet, on the mat and, I expect him to outwork Jones over the course of the entire fight to a unanimous decision victory.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Raoni Barcelos to win -235 |
Mike Davis vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
In the lightweight division, we have the return of Mike Davis as he takes on short notice replacement Viacheslav Borshchev. Davis is riding a two-fight winning streak into this fight meanwhile, Borshchev suffered only his second professional defeat.
Davis was originally slated to take on Uros Medic in a striker’s delight. Now he gets another striker’s delight as he takes on Viacheslav Borshchev. Davis has shown more of his well-rounded skillset as of late and that will be needed big time in this matchup.
Borshchev is coming off of his first loss inside the octagon after getting out grappled by Marc Diakiese for an entire fight. He is a very dangerous striker that can finish just about anyone in the lightweight division and he’s got a tall task in front of him this weekend.
It has been known that Borshchev’s glaring weakness lies in his defensive grappling. It handled well early on in his fight against Diakiese, but the relentless takedown attempts were too much. Davis will need to take a page out of Diakiese’s playbook and mix in those takedowns to be successful here. All in all, we will see Davis mix things up and get another hard-fought to win extend his winning streak to 3.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Mike Davis to win -180 |
