This article is part of our UFC Picks series.
The UFC remains at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 14 for UFC Vegas 81. In the main event, top-15 featherweights collide, as Sodiq Yusuff takes on Edson Barboza.
Below, I'll share my favorite play, an underdog, a prop and a two-fighter parlay. All odds are via the DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the post date of this article.
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Christian Rodriguez (9-1) vs. Cameron Saaiman (9-0)
Christian Rodriguez and Cameron Saaiman are two highly-touted prospects at bantamweight and are already fighting early into their UFC careers, which makes this one of the best fights on the card.
Saaiman has looked impressive so far, as he is a great striker who has won two of his three fights by stoppage. However, one knock on him is his takedown defense and ability to be controlled, which Rodriguez does so well.
Rodriguez's lone loss in his career was on short notice up a weight class against Jonathan Pearce, and he nearly won that fight. I expect Rodriguez to come out and wrestle early and often to control Saaiman and win a clear-cut decision. Saaiman's takedown defense is just 41 percent, which is a concern here in this matchup and why I like Rodriguez to get the win.
UFC Vegas 81 Best Bet: Christian Rodriguez (-155)
Weight Class: Women's bantamweight
Irina Alekseeva (5-1) vs. Melissa Dixon (5-0)
Irina Alekseeva vs. Melissa Dixon is a battle between two prospects, which is a way for the UFC to see who should get the push. I like Alekseeva as the underdog here.
Alekseeva won her UFC debut as a big underdog when she submitted Stephanie Egger in the first round. She is a great grappler, while Dixon will want to keep it on the feet and try and out-volume Alekseeva to get a decision win.
To me, this is a pick'em fight. Alekseeva has a major advantage on the ground, as I expect her to get it down there and control Dixon. A submission win could be in play as well.
UFC Vegas 81 Best Bet: Irina Alekseeva (+124)
Weight Class: Featherweight
Sodiq Yusuff (13-2) vs. Edson Barboza (23-11)
The main event of UFC Vegas 81 should be a banger for however long it lasts.
Both Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza want to keep it standing and will trade strikes. Yusuff is coming off a year-long layoff, which happens to him quite often. Barboza, meanwhile, picked up a massive KO win over Billy Quarantillo back in May.
I expect this fight to look a lot like Barboza's main event fight against Giga Chikadze, as Yusuff will be the faster striker and will have the cardio advantage. Barboza will have some moments early on, but Yusuff will eventually get a TKO win in the third or fourth round as the Brazilian starts to slow down.
UFC Vegas 81 Best Bet: Sodiq Yusuff by KO/TKO/DQ (+250)
Weight Classes: Strawweight & Catchweight
Emily Ducote (12-8) vs. Ashley Yoder (8-8)
Edgar Chairez (10-5) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-5)
For my parlay, I'm backing Emily Ducote and Edgar Chairez to get their hands raised Saturday night.
Ducote opens up the card against Ashley Yoder, who is fighting for the first time since July 2021, and it's a bit of a surprise she is still on the roster. Yoder is 3-7 in the UFC and is 1-4 in her last five fights.
On the feet, Ducote is the much better striker and should be able to out-volume Yoder here. Ducote does get hit a lot, but it is because she throws a ton of volume. I expect this will overwhelm Yoder and lead to a decision win over Ducote.
For the other leg, I'm backing Chairez in the rematch against Daniel Lacerda. These two fought back in September, and Chairez won by submission in the first round, but it was overturned to a No Contest due to the ref stopping it early.
However, Chairez was dominating that fight, and Lacerda only has about five minutes of cardio to work with. Chairez will go out there and wrestle Lacerda early and will likely get another submission win here.
UFC Vegas 81 Best Bet: Emily Ducote & Edgar Chairez parlay (-149)
UFC Vegas 81 Best Bets
Here is a recap of this weekend's UFC Vegas 81 card:
- Christian Rodriguez (-155)
- Irina Alekseeva (+124)
- Sodiq Yusuff by KO/TKO/DQ (+250)
- Emily Ducote & Edgar Chairez parlay (-149)
For up-to-date information on the latest odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the UFC odds page on RotoWire.
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