Although injuries and weight-cutting issues have derailed her career progress, Aspen Ladd believes she is one of the best fighters in the world. Ladd intends to prove it on Saturday when she faces Norma Dumont in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont. The main UFC fight card is set for 7 p.m. ET from the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas. The winner of the featherweight matchup could be next in line to face champion Amanda Nunes for the title. Ladd is moving up from bantamweight (135 pounds) just two weeks removed from missing weight and causing a cancellation of her main-card fight against Macy Chiasson.
Ladd is a -145 favorite (risk $145 to win $100), while Dumont is priced at +125 in the latest Ladd vs. Dumont odds at Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, heavyweight contenders take the spotlight as veteran Andre Arlovski (-110) meets prospect Carlos Felipe (-110). Before finalizing any picks of your own for UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont, make sure you check out the MMA predictions from SportsLine MMA expert Andrew Gombas.
Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X's and O's of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.
With more than 1,200 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 10 percent return on investment for his followers. In 2020, $100 bettors who tailed his picks were up $9,200. Just last week at UFC Fight Night, Gombas told SportsLine members to take Marina Rodriguez (+145) against Mackenzie Dern (-165) in the women's strawweight main event and nailed the outcome. What's more, he went 3-0 on his best bets to give SportsLine members a massively profitable night. Anyone who has followed him is already way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont in sight, Gombas has studied the UFC card from top to bottom and released his top selections. A successful parlay of those picks would pay 4-1. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of Gombas' MMA picks.
UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont preview
Gombas knows the main event is crucial for a division that many observers have suggested be discontinued because of its lack of world-class competitors, aside from Nunes. Similar moves have been pondered, as UFC president Dana White repeatedly considered contracting the men's flyweight division because of the lack of elite fighters. However, a strong recruiting effort landed exciting fighters such as current champion Brandon Moreno and top-ranked contender Deiveson Figueiredo and the division is now regarded as one of the more talent-rich in the promotion.
Perhaps the same can be pulled off with women's featherweight, and the main event provides a platform for either Dumont or Ladd to generate some excitement about a potential matchup with Nunes.
Dumont (6-1) already has made an impact at featherweight because of her win over Spencer, a well-rounded prospect who went the full five rounds in a title fight with Nunes last June but lost a lopsided decision.
Her resume would benefit from a win over a notable name such as Ladd (9-1), who is 4-1 in five UFC appearances with two performance bonuses among the victories.
But Ladd's continued struggles to make the bantamweight limit have hindered her progress, and her scheduled fight against Macy Chiasson two weeks ago was called off after Ladd badly missed weight and appeared to be shaky and unwell during the weigh-ins.
Her move to featherweight appeared both practical and inevitable, and now she has a chance to showcase her skills and become a contender in a division that needs one. You can only see who to back here.
UFC Fight Night predictions
We'll share one of Gombas' UFC Fight Night selections here: He is siding with Manon Fiorot (-210) to get her hand raised against Mayra Beuno Silva (+180) in a matchup of women's flyweight prospects.
UFC president Dana White has repeatedly hailed Fiorot (7-1) as a future title contender after watching her register second-round stoppages in each of her first two UFC outings. The 31-year-old French fighter has six stoppage victories among her seven professional MMA wins and is looking to build off a technical knockout of Tabatha Ricci in June.
Silva (7-1-1) is a grappling specialist who has gone 2-1-1 in four UFC appearances. The 30-year-old Brazilian's last fight resulted in a majority draw against Montana De La Rosa in February. A one-point deduction for grabbing the fence prevented what would have been a victory for Silva.
"Fiorot is a legitimately skilled striker and her grappling is coming along. Silva is a tough fighter, but I see some serious holes in her striking defense," Gombas told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night selections
Gombas also has strong picks for Ladd vs. Dumont and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing one fighter who has plenty of paths to victory. Those UFC picks and MMA predictions are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Ladd vs. Dumont? And what other picks do you need to see for a parlay with a payout of 4-1? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who's up nearly $9,200 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont odds, fight card
Aspen Ladd (-145) vs. Norma Dumont (+125)
Andre Arlovski (-110) vs. Carlos Felipe (-110)
Jim Miller (-190) vs. Erick Gonzalez (+170)
Bruno Silva (-140) vs. Andrew Sanchez (+120)
Manon Fiorot (-210) vs. Mayra Beuno Silva (+180)
Julian Marquez (-220) vs. Jordan Wright ((+190)
Ramazan Emeev (-240) vs. Danny Roberts (+200)
SIjara Eubanks (-250) vs. Luana Carolina (+200)
Ludovit Klein (-290) vs. Nate Landwehr (+245)
Danaa Batgerel (-190) vs. Brandon Davis (+170)
Ariane Carnelossi (-160) vs. Istela Nunes (+140)