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UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus odds, predictions: MMA insider reveals surprising fight card picks

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on March 26, 2022

Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus are both eager to prove they are better than they looked in recent performances. The ranked heavyweight contenders will get that opportunity on Saturday when they face each other in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus. Their battle tops the main UFC fight card (4 p.m. ET) from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The No. 4-ranked Blaydes appeared headed toward a title shot before he was derailed by a knockout loss to Derrick Lewis and an unimpressive win in his follow-up performance. He can stay in the title picture at UFC Fight Night 205 with a win over the No. 9-ranked Daukaus, who saw his undefeated start in the promotion halted by a loss to Lewis.

Blaydes is a -380 favorite (risk $380 to win $300), while Daukaus is a +310 underdog in the latest UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus odds from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, women’s flyweight contenders take the spotlight when Alexa Grasso (-240) squares off against Joanne Wood (+200). Before locking in any UFC picks of your own for UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.

Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.

With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000.

Gombas kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January by telling SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a battle of ranked featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated wire to wire to give Gombas’ followers an easy winner. Anyone who has followed him already has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus in sight, Gombas has studied the card from every angle and released his top MMA picks. Those selections are available at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus preview

The main event appears to be the latest in a series of heavyweight matchups the UFC has arranged in order to see how its ample core of rising prospects stacks up against proven veterans. For example, Tai Tuivasa recently moved from No. 11 to No. 3 in the rankings on the strength of a knockout win against two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis.

Coincidentally, Blaydes and Daukaus have seen losses to Lewis derail their quests toward a title shot of their own. Blaydes was considered a near lock for a title bout if he got past Lewis in their matchup in February of last year. Instead, he was stopped in the second round and Lewis fought for the interim title against Ciryl Gane.

Blaydes (15-3-1) has since rebounded with a lackluster win against power puncher Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who is now ranked No. 8 in the division. But an impressive outing would go a long way in leveraging him towards a championship fight.

Daukaus (12-4) won his first four UFC fights by knockout inside of two rounds before he faced Lewis in December in his first main event. The veteran Lewis, who holds the UFC record for knockout victories, got the best of the exchanges and stopped Daukaus in the first round. Another loss would likely send Daukus plummeting toward the bottom of the top-15 rankings, but a victory against a proven contender would move him toward the top five. You can only see who to back here.

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus predictions

We’ll share one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is going with Askar Askarov (-350) to get his hand raised against Kai Kara-France (+290) in a battle of surging flyweight contenders.

Although he has just four fights under the UFC banner, Askarov (14-0-1) is widely considered the most well-rounded prospect in the division. The lone blemish on the 29-year-old Russian fighter’s record came in a draw in his UFC debut against Brandon Moreno, who went on to win the title and is now the No. 1-ranked contender in the division. His last fight ended in a decision victory against two-time title challenger Joseph Benavidez last March.

Kara-France (23-9-1) is a straight-forward brawler who has gone 5-2 in seven UFC outings. The 28-year-old New Zealander has received performance bonuses in three consecutive fights, which include two knockout victories. He stopped former featherweight champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round of their December matchup.

“Askarov is one of the best flyweights in the world. I expect Askarov to dominate this fight and possibly compete for the title later this year,” Gombas told SportsLine.

How to make UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus picks

Gombas also has strong picks for Blaydes vs. Daukaus and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing one fighter to “land more meaningful shots” and cruise to victory. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Daukaus vs. Blaydes? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who’s up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.