Skip to main content
UFC predictions
UFC predictions

A pair of top-10 bantamweights headline Saturday night’s card when former champion Holly Holm exchanges violent pleasantries with Mayra Bueno Silva in the main event of UFC Vegas 77. Read on for our UFC best bets for Saturday based on the odds from our best sportsbooks.

With 135-pound overlord Amanda Nunes triumphantly riding into the sunset following her career-capping victory at UFC 289, the women’s bantamweight division suddenly feels wide open. 

Enter Holly Holm

A former champion in her own right, Holm had already lost to “The Lioness,” and likely wouldn’t sniff gold again while the Brazilian was on top. But with three wins in her last four, and Nunes’ retirement, a potential title fight doesn’t seem too far-fetched for “The Preacher’s Daughter.”

Standing in Holm’s way is Mayra Bueno Silva. A submission ace with wins in three straight trips to the Octagon, Silva could burst into the upper echelon of the division with a stirring victory over Holm on Saturday night. In her last bout at a Fight Night event in February, Silva tapped Lina Lansberg with a slick kneebar.

Also on the card, Jack Maddalena finally gets a new opponent in Bassil Hafez, and Jun Yong Park takes on Albert Duraev.

Here are our UFC best bets for UFC Vegas 77 (odds via DraftKings and FanDuel; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

UFC Vegas 77 schedule and odds

  • Ashlee Evans-Smith (+185) vs. Ailin Perez (-215)
  • Alex Munoz (-195) vs. Carl Deaton (+165)
  • Tyson Nam (+320) vs. Azat Maksum (-425)
  • Evan Elder (-305) vs. Geenaro Valdez (+255)
  • Austin Lingo (+195) vs. Melquizael Costa (-230)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (-195) vs. Istela Nunes (+165)
  • Tucker Lutz (+130) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (-150)
  • Nazim Sadykhov (-150) vs. Terrance McKinney (+130)
  • Norma Dumont (-135) vs. Chelsea Chandler (+115)
  • Albert Duraev (+140) vs. Junyong Park (-165)
  • Ottman Azaitar (-105) vs. Francisco Prado (-115)
  • Jack Della Maddalena (-550) vs. Bassil Hafez (+400)
  • Holly Holm (-180) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (+155)

UFC Vegas 77 best bets

  • O/U: Della Maddalena vs. Hafez Under 1.5 rounds(-205 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Time prop: Duraev vs. Park v. to go the distance (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Method of victory: Holly Holm to win via decision (+105 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook

UFC top picks for UFC Vegas 77

O/U: Della Maddalena vs. Hafez Under 1.5 rounds (-205 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After having a pair of fights scrapped at UFC 290, Della Maddalena is ready to unleash some violence. Racking up a perfect 4-0 record since making his Octagon debut in early 2022, the 26-year-old Australian viciously ended each one of those bouts in the opening stanza. In fact, Della Maddalena has only fought beyond the first round seven times in 16 career trips to the cage.

Making his UFC debut on short notice, I don’t expect Hafez to have much for Della Maddalena. That said, there’s really not much value in backing Della Maddalena straight up (-585 DraftKings). With potential bets slowly filtering in, it’s best to back an early finish (at least until you can bet a winning method/winning method + round). You can also slip a Della Maddalena bet to beef up a parlay.

Time prop: Duraev vs. Park to go the distance (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I see this as a relatively-even matchup, and I don’t expect either man to completely run roughshod. Duraev hasn’t lived up to the scintillating promise he flashed during his win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Since that brutal neck-crank finish of Caio Bitencourt, Duraev has scraped together a 2-1 record, with both wins going to the judge’s scorecards.

Park has impressively strung together three wins in a row, but “The Iron Turtle” doesn’t really have a signature triumph, and none of his recent conquests have come against high-level competition.

I expect this one to go the entire 15 minutes, with neither man completely imposing their will. 

Method of victory: Holly Holm to win via decision (+105 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Holly Holm’s highlight reel is pock-marked with debilitating head kicks, yet she hasn’t delivered that brand of ultra violence in quite some time. “The Preacher’s Daughter” has gone the distance in four straight fights, and hasn’t delivered a finish in more than six years. I don’t expect that trend to change on Saturday night.

Both of Silva’s losses have come via decision, and I don’t envision a bout in which the Brazilian is able to hold the uber-athletic Holm down long enough to unleash her vaunted grappling game (Holm stuffs 78% of opponent’s takedown attempts, while Silva only lands 50% of hers). It may not be swift, or entertaining, but Holm will do enough for five rounds to ensure she stays in the upper echelon of the division.

UFC best bets made 07/14/2023 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Here are our best sports betting apps:

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Related pages