UFC on ESPN 42 takes place on Saturday at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. This card features a welterweight fight between Stephen Thompson vs Kevin Holland as the Main Event
We are sharing our UFC on ESPN 42 best bets here, but head over to our main UFC on ESPN 42 predictions for picks for each fight on the main card. Let's get into our best bets for Saturday's card.
UFC on ESPN 42 Main Card best bets
Matheus Nicolau comes into this fight with an MMA record of 18-3-1. He is 6-1 in the UFC, most recently beating David Dvorak by unanimous decision back in March of this year. Nicolau is averaging 3.64 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 52%. Nicolau is absorbing 3.09 strikes and has a striking defense of 67%. His grappling also looks to be solid, averaging 1.46 takedowns per every 15 minutes and 1.0 submission attempts during the same time period. His takedown accuracy is 42% and his takedown defense is 93%.
Nicolau is a heavy favorite in this fight, and while he looks to be the right side, backing his money line looks to be too risky. Nicolau has won 5 of his 7 UFC fights by decision, including his last 3 UFC fights in a row. For that reason, backing Nicolau to win by decision will be the play.