UFC Vegas 39: Dern vs. Rodriguez Betting Preview

UFC Vegas 39 takes place this weekend in front of a small crowd at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, we have an exciting strawweight match-up with potential title implications when Mackenzie Dern takes on Marina Rodriguez. The winner could well be in line for a shot at the 115lb title which will be on the line when Rose Namajunas rematches Zhang Weili later his year.

The card also boasts several standout fights that promise to deliver plenty of big moments. Join LowKickMMA as we preview, predict, and hopefully win some big money from the sport betting sites.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez

In the main event of the evening, we have a genuine number one contender fight between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez. Dern has looked nothing short of spectacular as of late picking up four straight wins which have included three first-round submission victories that all earned her a performance bonus. For that reason, it’s totally understandable that she is the -160 favourite heading into her first UFC main event. However, Rodriguez represents her toughest test to date. The 34-year-old has lost just once in her MMA career and that was a controversial split decision defeat to Carla Esparza who is also in contention for the next 115lb title shot. Rodriguez also holds a win over Amanda Ribas who is the only woman to beat Dern. She’s certainly a live dog at +130 but we won’t be betting on her. Dern just seems to be getting better and better. Now is her time to make a proper run at the strawweight title.

Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau

On the UFC Vegas 39 undercard Tim Elliott is looking to continue his fine run of form when he takes on Matheus Nicolau. The former flyweight title challenger has won two straight but is +150 to make it three in a row this weekend. That’s because Nicolau is still flying high from his second UFC debut. The Brazilian got the late call to fight the highly fancied Manel Kape last year and surprisingly emerged the winner by split decision. Nicolau enters this one as the -175 favourite and it’s probably justified considering his age, recent record, and career trajectory. We could be looking at a future 125lb champion. We’ll be betting on him to stretch his current win streak to four at UFC Vegas 39.

Sabina Mazo vs. Mariya Agapova

Mariya Agapova burst on the scene last year and looked to be one of the brightest prospects in WMMA when she stopped Hannah Cifers inside one round. However, the UFC’s newest rising star quickly came crashing back down to earth with a monumental upset loss to Shana Dobson – who has since been cut from the UFC roster. Now, Agapova is the +130 underdog against Sabina Mazo who is priced at -160 to win this fight. We’ve seen enough potential in Agapova to bet on her in this fight. We will put her last performance down to the upset in her personal life and hope she can turn it around in this one.

Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn

Phil Hawes is one of our most confident picks on the UFC Vegas 39 card. The bookmakers seem to agree and have priced him at -275 against Deron Winn who is a pretty hefty +225 underdog. Hawes has beaten some legit middleweight fighters and in our opinion, this is a step down in opposition. He really should be making this fight looking easy and we’ll be betting on him to do just that.

Who will you be betting on at UFC Vegas 39?