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

Former title-challenger Thiago Santos believes there’s a simple explanation for his recent struggles in the Octagon, owing to injuries suffered in his title fight. The Brazilian brawler claims he is now fully healthy and plans to prove it with an impressive performance on Saturday against rising prospect Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker. The battle of ranked contenders anchors the MMA showcase from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. The main UFC fight card is set for 7 p.m. ET. The No. 5-ranked Santos suffered multiple injuries in his 2019 championship bout against former title-holder Jon Jones. He has lost three straight but vows to return to world-class form against the No. 10-ranked Walker, who is noted for his knockout power.

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 Niko Price (-140) to get the best of Alex Oliveira (+120) in a matchup of welterweight veterans on the main card.

Many observers see this showdown as a potential Fight of the Night candidate because both combatants are known for their straightforward styles that pay little regard for defense.

Price (14-5-2) quickly became a fan favorite following his UFC debut in December 2016. He has gone 6-5-2 in 13 UFC appearances while facing a gauntlet of upper-tier opponents. Both no-contests on his record were originally victories that were overturned after the Florida native later tested positive for marijuana. The 32-year-old is coming off a decision loss to Michel Pereira in July.

Oliveira (22-10-1) has been in his share of memorable brawls since his UFC debut in March 2015 resulted in a loss to Gilbert Burns, who went on to contend for the title and is now ranked No. 2 in the division. The 33-year-old Brazilian has split his last four fights and is looking to rebound from a submission loss to Randy Brown in April.

“They are both known to go to war and put on exciting fights, hence why the FC put them together. I believe Price has a slight edge in skill, which is why he is a slight favorite,” 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.