UFC Vegas 19: Blaydes vs Lewis Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC returns to action this Saturday for UFC Vegas 19 at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the main event, two Top tier heavyweights collide as Curtis Blaydes takes on Derrick Lewis is an all-important heavyweight clash that could lead to a title shot for the winner. The co-main event features two top 10 female bantamweights in Ketlen Vieira vs Yana Kunitskaya.

Let’s take a look at the bouts in the main card of UFC Vegas 19 and make our predictions:

Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis

Curtis Blaydes is the no. 2 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. Known as Razor, the 29-year old from Naperville, Illinois is a former NJCAA Folklore wrestling champion. In the UFC, Blaydes has won four in a row and is 8-1 in his last nine bouts with his only loss coming at the hands of Francis Ngannou. Blaydes is 6-4 tall with a reach of 80 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter.

Derrick Lewis is the 4th ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 36-year old from New Orleans, Louisiana is a former Legacy FC heavyweight champion. Known as the Black Beast, Lewis challenged for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 230 but lost to Daniel Cormier. He is 6-2 in his last eight bouts and owns the UFC record for most knockouts in the heavyweight division. Lewis has a record of 24-7 with 19 knockouts and one submission defeat.

When you have the kind of punching power that Derrick Lewis has, you always have a chance in any fight. There’s no question that Lewis can put Blaydes to sleep with a single punch. But that’s easier said than done. Perhaps, if he can bull rush Blaydes and look for the early KO, that is possible. But Blaydes has fallen to that trap before against Ngannou. A couple of days ago, he said he won’t trade with Lewis who is a terrible wrestler. That means he will take Lewis down as much as possible. This could be a boring fight but Blaydes knows what to do to win.

Prediction: Curtis Blaydes

Ketlen Vieira vs Yana Kunitskaya

Ketlen Vieira is the former Mr. Cage bantamweight champion and the no. 6 ranked female bantamweight in the UFC. The 29-year old from Manaus, Amazonas in Brazil is 5-1 inside the UFC Octagon and is coming off a win over Sijara Eubanks. She has a record of 11-1 with two knockouts and four wins via submission. Vieira is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 68 inches.

Yana Kunitskaya is the no. 7 ranked female bantamweight in the UFC. The 31-year old from the Soviet Union is a former Russian Taekwondo and Muay Thai champion. In her UFC debut, she lost to Cris Cyborg in a UFC women’s featherweight title bout. Kunitskaya has a record of 13-5 with seven knockouts and one submission victory. She stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 68 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Vieira is a smothering grappler and she will look to take this fight down. Kunitskaya meanwhile is primarily a striker so she wants to keep this up. Vieira can be vulnerable if her opponent fights at a distance. However, Kunitskaya’s penchant for clinch fighting says that we’re not going to see that happen here. This one should be fought in close quarters and unless Kunitskaya lands a big blow before this fight is taken to the ground, it’s Vieira’s fight to win.

Prediction: Ketlen Vieira

Charles Rosa vs Darrick Minner

Charles Rosa is a former fighter from CES MMA and CFA. The 34-year old from Peabody, Massachusetts has alternated losses and wins in the UFC. He has a record of 13-4 with three knockouts and eight wins via submission. Rosa is coming off a split decision win over Kevin Aguilar at UFC Vegas 2. He is a switch hitter who stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 69 inches.

Darrick Minner fought for DCS, RFA, and VFC. He appeared in the Contender Series Season 3, Episode 7 but lost to Herbert Burns. The 30-year old from Nebraska City, Nebraska is 25-11 with one knockout and 22 submission victories. He stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 69 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Rosa’s had an up and down UFC career but overall, he’s a balanced fighter who can fight from all areas. Minner meanwhile only has two UFC bouts to his credit and he has not stood out from the crowd, at least from what we’ve seen. I like Rosa here because of his experience and grappling advantage. Give me Rosa to win this fight via submission.

Prediction: Charles Rosa

Aleksei Oleinik vs Chris Daukaus

Aleksei Oleinik is a veteran of M-1 Global, Bellator, and KSW among others. The 43-year old Russian is known as the Boa Constrictor and is one of the best submission artists in the division. Oleinik is 2-3 in his last five bouts and is coming off a knockout loss to Derrick Lewis. His record is 59-14 with 8 knockouts and 46 submission victories. Oleinik is 6-2 tall with a reach of 80 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Chris Daukaus fought under CES MMA, CFFC, and Ring of Combat before joining the UFC. The 31-year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is 2-0 with two knockouts under the UFC. He has a record of 10-3 with nine wins via knockout. Daukaus is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 76 inches.

Oleinik is already 43 but he still has effective clubbing striking and an ever-dangerous submission game. Daukaus has two KO wins in two UFC bouts and looks like he has the heavier punches. Look for Daukaus to go for the KO and the result of this fight depends on how Oleinik’s chin can still hold after three KO losses in his last five bouts. Dauakaus is the safe bet here but don’t count out Oleinik’s submission game.

Prediction: Aleksei Oleinik

Andrei Arlovski vs Tom Aspinall

Andrei Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion who also fought under Strikeforce, Affliction, WSOF, EliteXC, and ONE FC. The 42-year old known as the Belarusian Pitbull went 2-8-1 during an 11 fight span before winning three out of his last four bouts. Arlovski is coming off a win over Tanner Boser last November and has a record of 30-19 with 17 knockouts and three wins via submission. He is 6-3 tall with a reach of 77 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Tom Aspinall is a former BAMMA and Cage Warriors fighter. He joined the UFC last year and picked up two quick knockout wins over Jake Collier and Alan Baudot. The 27-year old from Greater Manchester, England is 9-2 with eight knockouts and one win via submission. Aspinall is an orthodox fighter who is 6-5 tall with a reach of 78 inches.

Aspinall is unproven but he has the skills that can give Arlovski trouble. A teammate of Darren Till, Aspinall is a good grappler who owns a big knockout punch. Aspinall can be wild at times but he is always swinging. Given Arlovski’s struggles with big punchers, I expect Aspinall to catch the former champion with a big punch early in the fight. Lights out!

Prediction: Tom Aspinall

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