Brendan Miller
American Alex Perez will face Brazilian Matheus Nicolau to close the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, at UFC APEX, in Las Vegas. The action is scheduled to begin at 7pm ET. Nicolau enters the fray after being sidelined for over a year following a first-round knockout of Brandon Royval at UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen, on April 15, 2023, in Kansas City. Perez, in turn, is back after just over a month. Perez suffered a unanimous decision loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev on March 2.
Nicolau is a -185 favorite (risk $185 to win $100), while Perez comes back at +155 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. UFC odds. Also on the main card is the light heavyweight clash between Ryan Spann (-195) and Bogdan Guskov (+165). Before finalizing any UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez picks, be sure to see SportsLine analyst Daniel Vithlani’s MMA predictions and betting advice.
Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since debuting in January 2023 with a 5-0 record at UFC 283. Over the last eight UFC pay-per-view events, Vithlani went 6-2 on main event picks, and his main card selections during that period netted his followers a profit of more than $1,500.
His highlights include 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 in Dustin Poirier (+190 ) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who followed him is way above. Anyone who followed him saw massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Nicolau x Perez on deck, Vithlani has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top picks. You can only see these picks on SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Nicolau x Perez preview
Nicolau, 31, has enjoyed great success since turning professional in 2010 at the age of 17. He posted a 10-1-1 record competing in regional competitions in Brazil before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter. In March 2015, he was selected as one of the fighters for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, and reached the semifinals where he lost by unanimous decision to Dileno Lopes. He debuted in the UFC on November 7, 2015, where he defeated Bruno Rodrigues via submission in the third round.
After a brief absence from the UFC following a knockout loss to Dustin Ortiz in 2018, he returned in January 2021. He has won four of his five fights since then. In 23 professional matches, Nicolau recorded a record of 19-3-1, with five victories by knockout, five by submission and nine by decision. All three losses were by knockout. He is currently the fifth ranked fighter in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Perez, 32, began his professional fighting career in 2011, at bantamweight, at TPF 9, achieving a knockout victory over Jesus Castro in the first round. He ended up compiling a 17-4 record, before joining Dana White’s Contender Series 5 in August 2017. He then defeated Kevin Gray via technical submission in his return to flyweight. On December 9, 2017, he won another fight via submission, defeating Carls John de Tomas in the bantamweight division.
Since then, he has gone 5-4 and compiled an overall record of 24-8. He won five fights by knockout, seven by submission and 12 by decision. Despite having lost his last three fights, two by submission and one by unanimous decision, he is in 8th place in the UFC flyweight rankings. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here.
UFC Fight Night Predictions
We’ll share one of Vithlani’s UFC Fight Night selections here: He’s backing Karine Silva (-145) to defeat Ariane Lipski (+125) in the women’s flyweight bout.
Silva, 30, has been dominant as of late, notching four straight wins since participating in Dana White’s Contender Series 45 in October 2021, and eight wins overall. Silva earned Performance of the Night with a submission victory over Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik on June 4, 2022. In her last fight, a submission win over Maryna Moroz at UFC 292 last August, she needed just 4:59 to subdue Moroz.
Lipski, 30, has posted a career record of 17-8, including victories in his last three starts. She is coming off a submission victory when she successfully used an armbar to defeat Casey O’Neill at 1:18 of the second round at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. The effort also earned her Performance of the Night. She scored a split decision victory over Melissa Gatto at UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov on July 1, 2023.
Vithlani, however, is unsure if Lipski will be able to continue his winning streak and nods to Silva. “On the feet, I give the advantage to Lipski. However, I feel Silva will end up in top position where she will have success. If Lipski is on her back for long periods in this fight, she will be in trouble,” said Vithlani. Sports Line. See who else can return here.
How to make choices in UFC Fight Night
Vithlani has strong choices for Nicolau vs. Perez and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He is also backing a fighter who “will inflict damage with ground and pound” to emerge with a dominant victory. These UFC picks and analysis are only available on SportsLine.
Who wins UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now for in-depth UFC Fight Night picks, all from the MMA expert who cashed in more than $1,500 on his 2023 UFC main card picksand find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
See all the UFC Fight Night picks, predictions and best bets here.
Matheus Nicolau (-185) x Alex Perez (+155)
Bogdan Guskov (+165) vs. Ryan Spann (-195)
Gabriel Benítez (+170) x Hayisaer Maheshate (-205)
Ivana Petrovic (-500) vs.
Marnic Mann (+260) x Ketlen Souza (-325)
Don’Tale Mayes (+100) x Caio Machado (-125)
Austin Hubbard (+140) vs.
Rani Yahya (+390) vs. Victory Henry (-500)
Tim Means (+250) vs. Uros Medic (-310)
Jonathan Pearce (-180) vs.
Austen Lane (+200) x Jhonata Diniz (-245)
Karine Silva (-145) x Ariane Lipski (+125)
