After smashing the highly-touted Adrian Yanez, Rob Font looks to play spoiler once again this Saturday (Aug. 5, 2023) when he battles Cory Sandhagen inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ESPN/ESPN+ show also sees Jessica Andrade look to end her current slump in a late-notice battle with Tataiana Suarez and Kennedy Nzechukwu chase his fourth straight win at Dustin Jacoby’s expense.
Wallet a little thin after a wild summer start? Let’s fix that …
What Went Wrong at UFC 291?
Matthew Semelsberger, Jan Blachowicz and Dustin Poirier
They just couldn’t maintain their output. Blachowicz’s cardio imploded, which is an issue I thought he’d kicked, while Semelsberger and Poirier ate massive shots in fights they were winning.
Vinicius Salvador
I expected him to make weight and, you know, actually knuckle down instead of having a sparring match.
Darrius Flowers
He fought his butt off and it just wasn’t enough. I will say, I didn’t expect him to be that much tinier than Matthews in the cage.
Michael Chiesa
This dude just can’t handle front chokes. I know Holland occasionally had flashes of impressive grappling, but I didn’t expect him to find Chiesa’s neck that easily.
What Went Right?
Miranda Maverick, Gabriel Bonfim and Roman Kopylov
Dominant performances as expected from this talented trio — no notes!
UFC Nashville Odds For The Under Card:
Billy Quarantillo (-175) vs. Damon Jackson (+145)
Jackson’s going to demolish Quarantillo on the ground until and unless he gets tired. That’s a coin flip I’d rather not mess with.
Kyler Phillips (-198) vs. Raoni Barcelos (+164)
Phillips has been out for a while and we don’t know how Barcelos will look after that knockout loss. Skip it.
Jeremiah Wells (-135) vs. Carlston Harris (+114)
This is close to a mirror match between wild sluggers with strong ground games, but with how ungainly Wells looked against Matthew Semelsberger, it’s worth investing in Harris as the underdog.
Jake Hadley (-198) vs. Cody Durden (+164)
Durden is coming off of back-to-back upsets over strong strikers and looks poised for another here. Hadley’s takedown defense is clearly his weakness, as seen in his fights with Mitch Raposo and Allan Nascimento. Even if Durden’s wrestling is the only meaningful weapon in his arsenal, it’s the right one for the job.
Sean Woodson (N/A) vs. Dennis Buzukja (N/A)
No odds out at time of writing.
Assu Almabaev (-185) vs. Ode Osbourne (+154)
Put a tiny amount on Osbourne. Half of Almabaev’s standup is ineffectual spinning back kicks, so Osbourne may be able to sprawl-and-brawl.
UFC Nashville Odds For The Main Card:
Cory Sandhagen (-315) vs. Rob Font (+230)
Slap Sandhagen in as needed. He’s extremely durable, extremely difficult to neutralize, and throws a ton of volume. Font can’t technically dominate him the way he did Cody Garbrandt and Adrian Yanez, and his tendency to get dropped at inopportune times seems likely to flare up in this battle.
Tatiana Suarez (-425) vs. Jessica Andrade (+300)
The line is probably a bit too wide. Suarez looked mighty shaky against Montana De La Rosa, someone who should have been fodder for her.
Kennedy Nzechukwu (-155) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+130)
Nzechukwu is big and weird and I don’t know how he keeps winning. Every time I bet against him, though, he pulls off some wacky finish. Skip it.
Diego Lopes (-162) vs. Gavin Tucker (+136)
Lopes has questionable takedown defense and Tucker has been out for 2.5 years. Skip it.
Tanner Boser (-162) vs. Aleksa Camur (+136)
I’m leaning toward Boser on the basis of Camur being genuinely terrible, but Camur also hasn’t fought in two years. Too many unknowns.
Ignacio Bahamondes (-205) vs. Ludovit Klein (+170)
While I was a big believer in Ludovit Klein, his poor performance against Jai Herbert has me questioning his chances against another big, rangy, high-volume striker. Put a bit down on Bahamondes.
UFC Nashville Best Bets:
- Single bet — Carlston Harris: Bet $20 to make $22.80
- Single bet — Cody Durden: Bet $30 to make $49.20
- Single bet — Ode Osbourne: Bet $20 to make $30.80
- Parlay — Cory Sandhagen and Ignacio Bahamondes: Bet $30 to make $28.84
There’s only so much you can do with a card when seven different fights fall through, but I’ve seen worse patch jobs. See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Initial Investment For 2023: $600
April Bailout: $400
Current Total: $103.34
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Nashville fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 9 p.m. ET.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania