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UFC Fight night is set to get going this weekend from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on Saturday, August 13. The preliminary card will begin at 4 p.m. ET, with the main card following at 7 p.m. ET. There is a five-bout main card highlighted by a bantamweight fight between #5 Marlon Vera and #8 Dominick Cruz in the main event.
Vera enters with a 19-7-1 record and has never lost before the final bell. He is 15-0 in fights that end in regulation and has never been knocked out or submitted in his career. This will be the second fight he has had this year. Vera took on Rob Fant in April of this year and won by unanimous decision. He enters the fight as the favorite with -240 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cruz heads into this fight with a 24-3 career record. He last fought in December of 2021 when he defeated Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision. Cruz has won back-to-back fights and has gone 2-1 since his return to the octagon. He took a three-and-a-half-year hiatus between December 2016 and May 2020. Even though Cruz has the momentum of two wins in a row, he enters as the narrow underdog with +200 odds.
How to watch Marlon Vera vs. Dominik Cruz
Date: Saturday, August 13
Fight time: Main card starts at 7 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN+ PPV
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Vera: -240
Cruz: +200
Splits: 81% of handle, 76% of bets on Vera
While Vera is the younger of the two fighters, he certainly hasn’t shown that he is more inexperienced. The fact that all of his losses have been fights that have gone the distance shows the stamina needed to be a dominant fighter. Cruz has shown that he has something left in the tank, but Vera has been nearly untouchable over his last three fights. He is favored in this one and should take the win.
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