After putting on shows in main events against Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo, Rob Font returns to center stage this Saturday evening (April 30, 2022) to face another lethal finisher in Marlon Vera. UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, also hosts a Heavyweight tussle pitting Jake Collier against Andrei Arlovski and a battle of Featherweight finishers between Andre Fili and Joanderson Brito.
UFC Vegas 53 promises to be an interesting card, if nothing else. Let’s see what all we can squeeze out of it …
What Went Wrong at UFC Vegas 52?
Aside from Manel Kape “failing” a drug test, not a whole lot. Marc-Andre Barriault and Aoriqileng scored dominant finishes, while Maycee Barber controlled Montana De La Rosa for much of their match up to secure a profitable week.
UFC Vegas 53 Odds For The Under Card:
Daniel Lacerda (-130) vs. Francisco Figueiredo (+110)
Alexander Romanov (N/A) vs. Chase Sherman (N/A)
Gabe Green (-145) vs. Yohan Lainesse (+125)
Natan Levy (-200) vs. Mike Breeden (+170)
Gina Mazany (-160) vs. Shanna Young (+140)
Tatsuro Taira (-240) vs. Carlos Candelario (+195)
Thoughts: Well, that’s not a terribly appealing line up. While I believe all of the favorites will win, each of these match ups has some volatile element that makes me want to steer clear. Case in point, Lacerda and Green have wrestling issues, Levy has some defensive flaws, Mazany’s cardio completely failed her last time out, and Taira’s still largely unproven. I suppose Levy could still work — Mike Breeden has struggled badly with capable kickers in the past.
UFC Vegas 53 Odds For The Main Card:
Rob Font (-135) vs. Marlon Vera (+115)
Andrei Arlovski (-145) vs. Jake Collier (+125)
Andre Fili (-260) vs. Joanderson Brito (+210)
Grant Dawson (-165) vs. Jared Gordon (+145)
Darren Elkins (-165) vs. Tristan Connelly (+145)
Krzysztof Jotko (-170) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+150)
Thoughts: Marlon Vera’s odds have been slowly creeping toward even, but he’s still worth snagging as an underdog. He’s functionally indestructible and gets stronger as fights progress, while Font’s tendency to get dropped at inopportune times was on full display in his recent loss to Jose Aldo. In addition, 25 minutes is a hell of a lot of time for a finisher as potent as Vera to find the mark, so I say go for it.
Andrei Arlovski and Darren Elkins look like decent investments as well. While they share a lot of recent competition, Arlovski’s wins over Tanner Boser and Ben Rothwell are better than any of Collier’s UFC Heavyweight accomplishments. As good as “The Prototype” has looked since returning to the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, Arlovski’s by far the more proven of the two.
In short, he’s worth banking on, even considering the short notice.
As far as Elkins, Tristan Connelly’s wrestling hasn’t held up hugely well in the Octagon, so as long as that wipeout loss to Cub Swanson didn’t knock the last bits of fighting know-how out of “The Damage’s” skull, he should be able to grind out another win.
UFC Vegas 53 Best Bets:
- Parlay — Natan Levy and Marlon Vera: Bet $100 to make $222
- Parlay — Andrei Arlovski and Darren Elkins: Bet $80 to make $136.80
Initial Investment For 2022: $600
Current Total: $1114.85
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 53 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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