Youssef Zalal of Morocco poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at Meta APEX on April 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Zuffa LLC After a strong week in Canada betting on mixed martial arts, we head back to Las Vegas for another UFC Fight Night.
This weekend’s card features 13 fights inside the Apex, where a whopping nine are projected to go the distance, far more than previous cards.
Last week, we nailed the main and co-main events as part of a wild 10-2 run, profiting an insane 8.45 units. Runs like that are something out of a dream, where you just can’t miss.
We look to keep the good times rolling at UFC Vegas 116, headlined by former champion Aljamain Sterling.
Perhaps a major changing of the guard is incoming at featherweight as Zalal comes in as a favorite against Sterling, the former bantamweight champion.
Zalal is a solid submission grappler, but there’s no way I can trust him as a favorite here.
Sterling is a rock-solid grappler with strong back takes and might even be the better striker here.
Opponents Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal of Morocco face off during the UFC weigh-in at Meta APEX on April 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Zuffa LLC Zalal has four submission wins in his last five fights and has improved, but if this fight goes the full 25 minutes, I like Sterling to cover his price and then some.
Target Sterling by decision as my favorite bet on the card — by far.
Prediction: Sterling by decision (+260, FanDuel).
At women’s bantamweight, we have a big fight with title implications for Dumont and Edwards.
This should be a legitimately interesting fight, as Edwards has four straight finishes. That’s a sight for sore eyes in women’s MMA, which is typically bereft of finish upside.
Regardless, Dumont is a -235 favorite and is the much better grappler, while Edwards should make it competitive on the feet.
I’ll take the grappler here because Edwards’ takedown defense is pretty ugly (just 61 percent), while Dumont should be able to shoot for multiple takedowns and get a win.
It’s not the most fun to watch, but it’s the path to least resistance where Dumont could get a title fight with a win later this year.
Prediction: Dumont by decision (-150, bet365).
Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez: Hernandez moneyline (-122, FanDuel)
Davey Grant vs. Adrián Luna Martinetti: Grant moneyline (-126, FanDuel)
Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos: Fight goes the distance (-140, theScore Bet); Barcelos by decision (+280, BetRivers)
Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann: Buchecha by submission (+180, FanDuel)
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico: McConico live after Round 1
Jackson McVey vs. Sedriques Dumas: Fight goes the distance (+425, theScore Bet)
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Michelle Montague: Fight goes to decision (-175, DraftKings)
Jafel Filho vs. Cody Durden: Filho moneyline for parlays
Francis Marshall vs. Lucas Brennan: Marshall by decision or knockout (-170, DraftKings)
Max Griffin vs. Victor Valenzuela: Griffin by decision (+250, BetMGM)
Talita Alencar vs. Julia Polastri: Fight goes the distance for parlays (-250, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
