UFC Fight Night: Strickland Vs. Hernandez Picks, Predictions, & Best Odds

Time to rage in the cage as UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez is set to bring the heat inside the Octagon on Saturday night. In a potential number-one contenders clash in the middleweight division headlining the action, you can raise the stakes of each bout scheduled on the main card with our expert Strickland vs. Hernandez picks, predictions, & best odds.

Below, we’ve provided in-depth betting analysis for each of the six main card fights set to go down in Houston, Texas, including the main event between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez. Don’t wait, knock out the online sportsbooks and rewrite the definition of a prize fighter as you secure a big win on your bet slip with our UFC Fight Night best bets.

• Reese to Win by KO (+340)
• Harrell to Win by DEC (+600)
• Delija to Win by KO (+121)
• Ige to Win by KO (+480)
• Neal to Win by KO (-132)
• Hernandez to Win by DEC (+140)

Zach Reese vs. Michel Pereira

Best Odds on Reese to Win: +135 (Sports Interaction)
Best Odds on Pereira to Win: -160 (bet365)

Opening the show with a thrilling bout between two proven finishers at 185 lbs, Zach “Savage” Reese and Michel “Demolidor” Pereira are set for a good time, not a long time, in their main card bout at UFC Houston. While both fighters have an affinity for securing early stoppages, bank on the underdog, Reese, to score the win by knockout over Pereira.

While he once dazzled fight fans with his entertaining, albeit unorthodox, style, Pereira’s hype train has seemingly come to a complete derailment. Coming off a 43-second knockout loss to Kyle Daukaus in his last trip to the Octagon, Pereira has lost three fights in a row, all in convincing fashion. With his chin becoming a major issue, as well as his history of gassing out early, this could lead to yet another devastating defeat as he faces a heavy-handed fighter in Reese.

Sporting a noticeable size advantage of three inches in height and four inches in reach, look for Reese to dictate the pace of the bout, preventing Pereira from throwing his creative strikes as he won’t be able to connect from distance against his taller opponent.

Look for Reese to easily avoid the early onslaught waged by Pereira, biding his time before landing a devastating hook to the jaw, dropping Pereira, and kicking off the main card with a sizeable underdog victory.

Prediction: Zach Reese to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+340 @ TonyBet)

Jacobe Smith vs. Josiah Harrell

Best Odds on Smith to Win: -275 (BetVictor)
Best Odds on Harrell to Win: +250 (bet365)

In a clash of undefeated welterweight prospects, Jacobe “Cobe” Smith will look to remain unbeaten as he takes on a short-notice opponent in Josiah “Muscle Hamster” Harrell. While many view Smith as the next big thing at 170 lbs, look for the upsets to keep on coming at UFC Houston as Harrell escapes with the upset victory by decision.

Pitting two well-rounded, grappling-savvy fighters against one another, this is often a recipe for a long bout. While Smith possesses the edge in UFC experience with two fights already under his belt, look for the hungrier and more desperate fighter in Harrell to outwork Smith over the course of their 15-minute contest.

Possessing tremendous wrestling and cardio, Harrell has built a reputation for taking his opponents into deep waters, controlling them from top position, and raining down ground-and-pound. With Smith having yet to face high-level competition in his UFC tenure, look for him to be caught off guard by Harrell’s ability, forcing him into uncomfortable situations as he faces adversity for the first time.

Expect a slow, methodical pace in this bout as both fighters will respect their opponent’s skillset, leading to a trend-busting decision finish. The superior grappling of Harrell will be the deciding factor, with his hand raised at the conclusion of the scrap.

Prediction: Harrell to Win by DEC (+600 @ ToonieBet)

Serghei Spivac vs. Ante Delija

Best Odds on Spivac to Win: +125 (BetVictor)
Best Odds on Delija to Win: -138 (bet365)

Buckle up for a hard-hitting affair as the heavyweights stomp their way into the octagon as Serghei “Polar Bear” Spivac takes on Ante “Walking Trouble” Delija at UFC Houston.

Coming off a controversial loss to top contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta in his last UFC appearance, look for Delija to get back on track in his upcoming bout as he scores the knockout victory over Spivac.

Relying heavily on his grappling ability to generate wins, this is going to be a long night at the office for Spivac. Having lost three of his last four fights, two of them coming by knockout, his chin will not be able to hold up against the punching power of Delija. Sporting a first-round knockout over Marcin Tybura, a man who once submitted Spivac in less than two minutes, Delija has shown flashes of title-contending potential in his brief stint with the UFC.

Looking to make quick work of his opponent in order to vault his way back into the upper echelon of the UFC heavyweight divison, back Delija to rock the jaw of Spivac early and aggressively chase the finish as he wins by knockout in this main card clash.

Prediction: Delija to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+121 @ TonyBet)

Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa

Best Odds on Ige to Win: +180 (Sports Interaction)
Best Odds on Costa to Win: -210 (bet365)

In what could be the fight of the night, expect a high-class mixed martial arts display inside the Octagon as Dan “50K” Ige takes on Melquizael “The Dalmatian” Costa. While Costa has been riding a jet pack up the rankings in the talent-stacked UFC featherweight division, look for his journey to stardom to take a slight bump in the road as he suffers a knockout loss to Ige.

Having won five straight bouts entering this contest, Costa has certainly showcased a well-rounded skillset that could make him a name to watch in the future of the 145-lb division, but this will be a stark increase in competition from what he’s used to. Having fought the best-of-the-best at featherweight and held his own, Ige is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC.

With competitive bouts against title-challenger Diego Lopes, as well as top contenders in Lerone Murphy and Patricio Pitbull, Ige’s speed and proven knockout power make him a scary matchup for any fighter in the division.

Facing a grappling-heavy fighter in Costa, this matchup is primed for the success of Ige. Sporting decent takedown defence, Ige will be able to fend off his opponent’s aggressive grappling attacks, instead landing massive shots that rock the 29-year-old fighter. In his UFC career, Costa has struggled to take damage from his opponents, most notably in his 2023 defeat to Steve Garcia that saw him punished en route to a second round knockout.

With Ige having landed gnarly knockouts over the course of his UFC career, including the likes of Andre Fili, Sean Woodson, and Gavin Tucker, look for him to throw a bomb at Costa, connecting and detonating as he earns a knockout victory over the surging Brazilian fighter.

Prediction: Ige to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+480 @ TonyBet)

Geoff Neal vs. Uros Medic

Best Odds on Neal to Win: -210 (bet365)
Best Odds on Medic to Win: +180 (Sports Interaction)

Don’t blink, or you might just miss the entirety of the co-main event of UFC Houston as Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal throws down with Uros “The Doctor” Medic.

In what’s sure to be a short-lived contest, both fighters enter this bout with a decorated resume of early knock-out finishes, most notably on the side of Medic who has either won or lost by knockout in seven of his nine UFC appearances. While his knockout success has been impressive, it’s his knockout susceptibility that will be his demise as Neal scores the emphatic knockout finish over Medic in the co-main event.

Having shared the Octagon with the elite of the welterweight division, Medic doesn’t measure up to the likes of Neal’s former opponents, such as Carlos Prates, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Ian Machado Garry. While Medic is entering this matchup on a two-fight win streak, in his bout against Gilbert Urbina, he was dropped in the first exchange of the fight, similarly to his one-minute defeat against Punahele Soriano.

With his chin not able to hold up, there’s no room for error on the side of Medic as he takes on Neal, who’s racked up five knockouts in his eight UFC victories.

Look for Neal to have no trouble pushing the pace against Medic, finding his way into the pocket, before unloading devastating shots that send Medic crashing to the canvas, leaving “The Doctor” needing medical attention with this soon-to-be highlight reel finish.

Prediction: Neal to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (-132 @ TonyBet)

Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez

Best Odds on Strickland to Win: +225 (BetVictor)
Best Odds on Hernandez to Win: -275 (bet365)

Set to cap off the night with a high-stakes showdown between top middleweights, former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean “Tarzan” Strickland will go to war against dangerous Mexican fighter, Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. While Strickland has remained one of the top 185-lbers over the last five years in the UFC, look for new blood to reign supreme as Hernandez grinds out the victory on the judges’ scorecards in the main event of UFC Houston.

Having already proven his elite cardio can hold up over the course of five rounds, evident in his slaughter of Michel Pereira and Roman Dolidze, Hernandez simply has more weapons in his arsenal than Strickland.

A Philly shell, teep kick merchant, Strickland relies on his defensive skills to create counterstriking exchanges in his favour, constantly using forward pressure to succeed. This gameplan won’t work against Hernandez.

A violent fighter when he steps into the Octagon, Hernandez won’t be worried about the shots being sent his way from Strickland. Instead, look for Hernandez to stand with Strickland in the middle of the octagon, before timing a takedown attempt early as he controls Strickland on the ground for the duration of their bout.

While he isn’t an offensive grappler, Strickland does has underrated BJJ skills in his own right, which will allow him to fight back against the submission threat of his opponent as these two cardio machines fly their way through five-rounds of action.

The more dangerous, hard-hitting, and creative fighter, bank on Hernandez to outwork, outpace, and outskill Strickland over the course of their main event bout as he cements himself as a legitimate title contender at middleweight.

Prediction: Hernandez to Win by DEC (+140 @ BetVictor)