UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker odds, predictions: MMA insider releases surprising fight card picks

Light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker insists there will be “fireworks” when he faces fellow ranked slugger Thiago Santos on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker. Their battle tops the main UFC fight card (7 p.m. ET) from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. The No. 10-ranked Walker is noted for his knockout power and told the media this week that he expects an all-out war with Santos. That’s because they are both rugged Brazilians who are known to throw caution to the wind, and the winner will likely enter the conversation for a title shot. It will be the first main-event appearance for Walker and the fourth for Santos, who came up short in a title bid against former champ Jon Jones in 2019.

Santos is a -185 favorite (risk $185 to win $100), while Walker is offered at +165 in the latest Santos vs. Walker odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Before locking in any MMA picks of your own for UFC Fight Night, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.

Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.

With more than 1,200 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 10 percent return on investment for his followers. In 2020, $100 bettors who tailed his picks were up $9,200.

Just last week at UFC 266, Gombas went 11-1 on his SportsLine selections to give $100 bettors a profit of nearly $1,000 in one night. Moreover, he hit his top four best bets, including calling a victory Alexander Volkanovski (-175) against Brian Ortega in the wild featherweight main event. A parlay of those selections paid 9-1. Anyone who has followed him already has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker in sight, Gombas has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. A successful parlay of those picks would pay better than 10-1 and they can only be seen at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker preview

Gombas knows the main event features a clash between a proven veteran in Santos and a heavy-handed prospect in Walker, who is looking for a signature UFC victory. The winner will join the tightly-bunched group of contenders behind champion Jan Blachowicz, who is scheduled to face top-ranked contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in late October.

Santos (21-9) is a rugged and well-rounded Brazilian who memorably pushed Jones, the former long-reigning champion, to the wire in their July 2019 title fight. His early strikes appeared to have an impact on Jones, who fought most of the way in a defensive posture. Jones won a split decision, but Santos memorably became the first opponent of Jones to win a scorecard against the champ.

However, multiple injuries suffered in that fight caused Santos to take a 16-month absence from the cage. He returned last November and was submitted in the third round by Teixeira before dropping a decision in March against Aleksandar Rakic, who is now ranked third. A win on Saturday would likely vault the 37-year-old back into the title picture, but a fourth consecutive loss will likely send him into the dreaded realm of division gatekeeper.

Walker (18-5) made a quick impression with MMA observers because of his knockout power and charismatic personality. He won his first three UFC fights by first-round knockout before he was stopped by Corey Anderson, a former contender who is now with Bellator.

The 29-year-old Brazilian then fell by decision to No. 9-ranked Nikita Krylov before rebounding with a first-round stoppage of Ryan Spann last September. You can only see who to back here.

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker predictions

We’ll share one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night selections here: He is going with Alexander Hernandez (-500) to get his hand raised against Mike Breeden (+400) in a lightweight matchup.

Hernandez (12-4) made one of the more memorable debuts in UFC history in March 2018 when he agreed on just a few days’ notice to step up from the regional circuit and save a fight at UFC 222. The first punch he threw knocked out perennial contender Beneil Dariush, who hasn’t lost since and is now ranked No. 3 in the division.

However, that highlight-reel finish remains the shining gem on his resume, as the 28-year-old Texan has gone just 4-3 in seven UFC outings after briefly reaching the top 15.

Breeden (10-3) will be making his UFC debut after success in promotions such as Bellator and the Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 32-year-old Missouri native is coming off a decision win against Nick Compton in May.

“Hernandez is well-rounded and should have Breeden covered just about everywhere. He is the more skilled striker and has a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu in his back pocket if, for some reason, things aren’t going well in the stand-up game,” Gombas told SportsLine.

How to make UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker predictions

Gombas also has strong picks for Santos vs. Walker and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing one fighter to pull a massive upset. In that fight, Gombas says, the line is completely off. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Santos vs. Walker? And which fighter pulls off a massive upset? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who’s up nearly $9,200 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.