The UFC Vegas 117 Main Card kicks off with a Welterweight fight between Nikolay Veretennikov and Khaos Williams. Williams has lost back-to-back fights, while Veretennikov picked up a knockout over Niko Price in his last contest in February.
Check out my best bet for Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams below.
Fight To Not Go The Distance (-145)
Veretennikov is 14-7 with 11 finishes in his MMA career, while Williams’ record is 15-5 with nine wins by knockout or submission. Williams’ last win came against Carlston Harris in May 2024, and he has lost his previous two matches to Gabriel Bonfim and Andreas Gustafsson.
In this fight, Williams is a slight -110 favorite with Veretennikov being -105 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The over of 1.5 rounds is -238, while the under is +180. This contest is +110 to go the distance and -145 to end early.
Veretennikov is taller by one inch (6’1″ vs. 6’0″), but Williams has the edge in standing reach (77″ vs. 74″). On the feet, Williams averages 2.25 more significant strikes per minute, but Veretennikov is more accurate (56% vs. 39%) and better defensively.
Two of Williams previous three fights have ended by finish. Also, four of Williams’ last six victories have come by knockout. In Veretennikov’s career, 11 of his 14 wins have been by knockout or submission. With two explosive knockout artists going head-to-head, I think it is only a matter of time until someone picks up a finish.
