Rose Namajunas will have the home-crowd advantage Saturday when the former two-time champion meets rising prospect Tracy Cortez in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez. Their five-round flyweight battle will anchor the main UFC fight card (10 p.m. ET) from Ball Arena in Denver. Namajunas has spent a decade in the promotion and is one of the most accomplished female fighters in the promotion's history. But the former two-time champion, who is a Milwaukee native, will be fighting for the first time in her adopted hometown of Denver. The card also features numerous other Denver-based fighters. Cortez is undefeated in the UFC with a 5-0 record and the rising prospect will look to spoil Namajunas' homecoming with an upset victory.
Namajunas is a -235 favorite (risk $235 to win $100), while Cortez is priced at +195 (risk $100 to win $195) in the latest UFC Fight Night odds. In the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio (-190) takes on Muslim Salikhov (+160) in a matchup of welterweight sluggers. Before locking in any UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani .
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.
Vithlani made his SportsLine debut in January 2023 and swept the main card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 record and has been a consistent winner ever since. Over the past 13 UFC pay-per-view events, Vithlani has gone 10-6 on main-event picks and his main-card selections in that span have netted his followers a profit of more than $1,200.
His highlights include predicting an upset for Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Poirier (+190) against Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.
Namajunas (12-6) is a nine-year UFC veteran who has evolved into a fan favorite because of her accomplishments inside of the cage and her mentality away from it. She has been praised for her outward vulnerability and willingness to address concerns such as mental-health awareness, her desire to have an identity away from fighting, and she has had a full-length documentary made about her life.
In the octagon, she is known for her striking and relentless pressure. She's also noted for exceeding what had been modest expectations when she joined the UFC. The 32-year-old's resume includes two wins each over Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, the current strawweight champion who is widely considered the best active female fighter in the UFC today.
Even so, she has faced some adversity. She lost the title at UFC 274 in May 2022 to Carla Esparza in a listless encounter that is generally regarded as the worst title fight in the promotion's history. Moreover, her debut at flyweight resulted in a unanimous decision loss to prospect Manon Fiorot.
She faces another hungry prospect in Cortez (11-1), who has made an impression with her striking skills, pressure and fearlessness since joining the promotion following an appearance on "Dana White's Contender Series." The 30-year-old Phoenix native is coming off a decision win against fellow prospect Jasmine Jasudavicius but faces a major step forward in competition Saturday in her headlining debut. You can only see who to back at UFC Fight Night here .
Top UFC Fight Night picks
We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is backing Jean Silva (-105) to get the best of Drew Dober (-115) in a matchup of lightweight sluggers on the main card.
Dober (27-13-1) is a 10-year UFC veteran and fan favorite because of his brawling style and charismatic disposition. The 35-year-old Nebraska native, who now lives and trains in Denver, is tied with Dustin Poirier for the lightweight knockout record with nine. However, he has dropped two of his past three following a three-fight winning streak.
Silva (13-2) is a Brazilian striker known for his reckless but effective style. The 27-year-old is 3-0 in the UFC and coming off a second-round stoppage of Charles Jourdain just last month.
"Dober has taken some serious damage over the course of his career. Silva has granite in his fists and could make Dober pay for sloppy entries," Vithlani told SportsLine. See who else to back here .
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Vithlani has strong picks for Namajunas vs. Cortez and other bouts on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter whose veteran poise and octagon control" will lead to a huge victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine .
See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, best bets here . Rose Namajunas (-235) vs. Tracy Cortez (+195) Santiago Ponzinibbio (-190) vs. Muslim Salikhov (+160) Drew Dober (-115) vs. Jean Silva (-105) Gabriel Bonfim (-340) vs. Ange Loosa (+270) Christian Rodriguez (-205) vs. Julian Erosa (+170) Abdul Razak Alhassan (-160) vs. Cody Brundage (+135) Joshua Van (-195) vs. Charles Johnson (+165) Jasmine Jasdavicius (+105) vs. Fatima Kline (-125) Montel Jackson (-155) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (+130) Andre Petroski (-110) vs. Josh Fremd (-110) Luana Santos (-370) vs. Mariya Agapova (+280)
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