Matthew Lowrimore
Show Bio
UFC on ESPN 43 takes place on Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. This card features a bantamweight fight between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen as the Main Event.
We are sharing our UFC on ESPN 43 best bets here, but head over to our main UFC on ESPN 43 predictions for picks on every Main Card fight. Let’s get into our best bets for Saturday’s card.
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UFC on ESPN 43 Main Card best bets
Marlon Vera ML over Cory Sandhagen (+140)
Marlon Vera comes into this fight with an MMA record of 20-7-1. He is 14-6 in the UFC, most recently beating Dominick Cruz by KO/TKO back in August of 2022. Vera is averaging 4.28 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 50%. He is absorbing 5.01 strikes and has a striking defense of 51%. His grappling is not as strong, averaging 0.68 takedowns per every 15 minutes, but 1.1 submission attempts during the same time period. His takedown accuracy is 42% and his takedown defense is 68%.
Cory Sandhagen is a moderate sized favorite in this fight; however, Vera’s finishing ability could certainly be a cause for concern. Vera has a total of 16 wins by finish and is 4-0 in his last 4 UFC fights. A win over Sandhagen could push into the title conversation, so because he is in the midst of an impressive winning streak, backing Vera will be the play.
Chidi Njokuani vs Albert Duraev – Fight to end by KO/TKO (-135)
Chidi Njokuani is a moderate sized favorite and while he should win this fight, the more likely result could be for this fight to end by KO/TKO. He has seen 18 of his fights end by KO/TKO, which includes his last 5 fights in a row. Albert Duraev has seen just 7 of his 19 fights end by KO/TKO, but this includes all 4 of his losses. His chin is the biggest concern here and his grappling ability should be nullified by Njokuani’s solid takedown defense. For that reason, backing this fight to end by KO/TKO will be our best bet.
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Make sure you also read our UFC on ESPN 43 four-fight parlay (+509 odds!)
At Pickswise we provide free expert MMA picks and MMA Predictions for all of the top UFC Cards. Our UFC predictions and UFC picks include a pick and analysis for all of the Main Card fights.
