In a women’s strawweight championship bout in the co-main event, Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili meet Saturday at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 281: Esparza vs. Zhang odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with the prelims on ESPNews/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, and the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.
Esparza has picked up victories in 6 straight fights, including a split-decision victory over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 as “Cookie Monster” earned the women’s strawweight strap for the first time.
In the past 6 fights, Esparza has just 1 finish, a KO/TKO win over Yan Xiaonan in late May 2021. Oddly enough, 3 of the wins were via split decision, including the win over Namajunas, with one majority decision and a unanimous decision against Virna Jandiroba in April 2019.