Miesha Tate will continue her comeback on Saturday when the former champion faces rising prospect Ketlen Vieira in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate. The battle of ranked women’s bantamweight contenders tops the UFC fight card from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. The main UFC card is set for 6 p.m. ET. The No. 8-ranked Tate was once one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. She won the title by beating former champion Holly Holm in March 2016 and retired shortly after losing her first defense against Amanda Nunes. She recently returned following a five-year absence and now faces the No. 7-ranked Vieira, who is 5-2 in seven UFC appearances but has dropped two of her past three.
Tate is a -120 favorite (risk $120 to win $100), while Vieira comes back at +100 in the latest Vieira vs. Tate odds from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, ranked welterweights Sean Brady (-155) and Michael Chiesa (+135) will meet in an important battle. Before making any UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate picks of your own, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst 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 Fight Night, his winners included calling an upset victory for Marcos Rogerio de Lima (+130) against Ben Rothwell (-150) in the heavyweight co-main event. Anyone who has followed Gombas already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate in sight, Gombas has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top MMA picks and predictions. A successful parlay of his picks would pay better than 5-1. You can only see them at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate preview
Tate (19-7) made her professional MMA debut 14 years ago and is widely considered a pioneer of women’s fighting alongside other influential stars like Ronda Rousey. She became the Strikeforce champion in July 2011 before losing the belt to Rousey in her next fight and also lost in a title shot against Rousey at UFC 168 in December 2013.
The 35-year-old Las Vegas resident then ripped off four consecutive wins to earn another title shot and dethroned Holm, who memorably took the title from Rousey. She retired following a decision loss to Raquel Pennington in November 2016, citing the desire to start a family and pursue other interests. In the interim, she also became a well-respected MMA analyst, but eventually got the urge to return to the Octagon.
Vieira (11-2), 30, started her career with a 6-0 mark in various Brazilian promotions. Her performances caught the attention of the UFC, which signed her in October 2016. The grappling specialist won her first four fights, but suffered a setback in December 2019 with a first-round stoppage loss against Irene Aldana, who is now ranked No. 3 in the division.
Her last performance came in February and resulted in a decision loss against Yana Kunitskaya, who is now ranked No. 6. Vieira also missed weight for that fight, which can harm a fighter’s reputation, but she can reestablish herself as a title-contender with the signature win of her career. You can only see who to back at UFC Fight Night at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night predictions
We’ll reveal one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is supporting Adrian Yanez (-255) to get past Davey Grant (+215) in a battle of bantamweight prospects.
Yanez (14-3) has quickly gained a reputation as an exciting fighter following stoppage wins in his first three UFC outings. The 27-year-old Texan is coming off a wild fight in which he scored a second-round knockout over fellow prospect Randy Costa in July.
Grant (13-5) is a resilient and rugged veteran who has won three of his past four and has earned three consecutive performance bonuses. The 35-year-old English fighter came out on the short end of a decision to fellow contender Marlon Vera in June.
“Yanez is a fantastic boxer and has great durability. Davey Grant is a tough veteran, but I believe he is outmatched,” Gombas told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Gombas has strong picks for Vieira vs. Tate other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing a fighter who is “strong for the weight class” to score a win, giving his backers a solid payout. Those UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Vieira vs. Tate? And what other picks do you need to see for a parlay with a payout of better than 5-1? 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.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
Ketlen Vieira (+100) vs. Miesha Tate (-120)
Michael Chiesa (+135) vs. Sean Brady (-155)
Rani Yahya (-110) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (-110)
Taila Santos (-300) vs. Joanne Calderwood (+250)
Adrian Yanez (-255) vs. Davey Grant (+215)
Pat Sabatini (-150) vs. Tucker Lutz (+130)
Natan Levy (-115) vs. Rafa Garcia (-105)
Lupita Godinez (-150) vs. Loma Lookboonmee (+130)
Terrance McKinney (-110) vs. Fares Ziam (-110)
Cody Durden (-130) vs. Qileng Aori (+110)
Sean Soriano (-250) vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbiek (+210)
Luana Pinheiro (-350) vs. Sam Hughes (+290)
