UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus Prediction and Odds

The UFC is on ESPN this weekend ahead of their pay-per-view card on April 9th.

The UFC's Fight Night card is headlined by a pair of heavyweights in Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus. Daukaus is off a loss in his first main event appearance to Derrick Lewis, while Blaydes is trying to regain his footing as a contender in the division.

Overall, there are 13 fights on this card and plenty of betting value to go through, so let's get into it!

Odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook

2022 UFC Record: 14-10 (+6.56 Units)

Main Event: Curtis Blaydes (-455) vs. Chris Daukaus (+340)

We saw what happens when Daukaus moves up in class in his last fight when he closed a favorite against Derrick Lewis. The Philadelphia native was finished in the first round by Lewis and I'm afraid something similar is going to happen here against one of the most vicious grapplers in the division in Blaydes.

While he may never be the contender that some had hoped, there is a clear path for 'Razor' to win his fights. Overwhelm his opposition with his grappling and get this fight to the ground where he can land fight stopping elbows. He has won 10 of his 15 fights by finish and I see that as the best way to play this one.

Of course I'm not interested in laying -455 on Blaydes, but he's the clear side and I see him taking control with a quick takedown and finding a stoppage. The only time Daukaus has seen someone with this type of striking, he lost in three minutes to Lewis.

I'll slightly lean towards Blaydes inside the distance for a half unit.

PICK: Blaydes Inside the Distance (-120) to win 0.5 Units

Matt Brown (-110) vs. Bryan Barberena (-110)

I haven't been impressed with the recent form of Barberena, who won a competitive decision over debutant Darian Weeks last time out in December and the time before that had a putrid showing against Jason Witt.

Now, he will get Matt 'The Immortal' Brown, who may be the older fighter, but to me has been the more complete one of late. Yes, Brown may be a bit chinny at 41 years old, but Barberena hasn't won by knockout since 2018.

Brown is fighting in front of the hometown crowd, which may give him the boost in what could be a sloppy fight that goes the distance. This may be the beginning of his swan song, but he does have the grappling advantage in this one, but I think he's going to stand and throw heat as he takes care of his opponent.

In a coin flip fight, there are some edges for 'The Immortal' in the power department as well as the grappling department.

PICK: Brown ML (-110)

Chris Gutierrez (+115) vs. Batgerel Danaa

Gutierrez has made me quite a bit of coin during his recent stretch as he has fantastic cardio and should be able to withstand the power of Batgerel, who has won six of his 10 fights by knockout.

Batgerel is averaging less than 6 minutes per fight in the UFC, while Gutierrez has fantastic pacing, chopping down on his opponent's lead leg and taking over in the later rounds. The key will be for 'El Guapo' to weather the early storm and avoid being finished, which I'm confident he can do given the fact that he has never been finished in his MMA career.

Outside of the first round, this is all Gutierrez, who will be able to move forward against his tired opponent and roll to another decision victory.

PICK: Gutierrez ML (+115), LIVE add after R1

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!