UFC Vegas 97 at Apex Arena on Saturday night features a clash of welterweight contenders when Gilbert Burns meets Sean Brady in the co-main event.
Burns, 38, is seeking to rebound from losses to Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena in his past two fights. This fight could go a long way in determining what Burns’ future opportunities in the Octagon look like.
Brady won his most recent fight by submission over Kelvin Gastelum back in December. He opened as the -165 favorite at DraftKings and has shifted to -190 with 67 percent of the money backing him to win.
OTHER MAIN CARD MATCHES
Jessica Andrade vs. Natalia Silva
The co-main event pits a pair of Brazilian flyweights, although Andrade scored a pair of victories in the strawweight class in her past two fights. The 32-year-old has 27 appearances, the most in UFC history among females. She faces a stiff test in Silva, who has won 11 consecutive fights, including all five since joining UFC.
Silva opened at -275 but has moved to the -300 favorite with 57 percent of the money backing her to beat Andrade (+250).
Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson
Garcia stepped into this featherweight fight after Calvin Kattar was pulled due to injury. Garcia has won four consecutive fights by stoppage, most recently over SeungWoo Choi. Nelson has a three-fight win streak of his own, finishing Bill Algeo in his most recent fight.
Garcia has held steady as the -185 favorite. The action has been fairly split, with Nelson backed by 58 percent of the bets at +150 while Garcia has drawn 52 percent of the money wagered.
Matt Schnell vs. Cody Durden
This flyweight contest sees the 34-year-old Schnell return to the Octagon looking to rebound from being knocked out by Steve Erceg. He’s 2-4 with one no-contest in his past seven fights. Durden is stepping in on short notice to replace Alessandro Costa. Durden has been finished in each of his past two fights after a four-fight win streak but is the -275 favorite with 93 percent of the money wagered backing him to win.
Schnell (16-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is in search of his first win since July 2022, which was a submission win over Su Mudaerji. Since then, Schnell has been finished by Matheus Nicolau and Erceg. He finds himself fighting a fight-week replacement. … Stepping up on just a few days’ notice, Durden (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) will also hunt to snap a two-fight skid in which he was finished in both bouts. Prior to his recent setbacks, Durden ripped off a four-fight winning streak, picking up wins over JP Buys, Carlos Mota, Charles Johnson and Jake Hadley.
Trevor Peek vs. Yanal Ashmouz
Two lightweights meet in a battle between Dana White Contender Series graduate Peek, who is 2-2 in the UFC, and Ashmouz, who enters with a 7-1-0 record. Peek is the -120 favorite and has been backed by 66 percent of the money.
–Field Level Media
