Holly Holm continues her quest to regain the UFC women's bantamweight title when she squares off against Ketlen Vieira on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira. The current No. 2 contender, Holm won the championship back in November 2015 with a stunning knockout victory over Ronda Rousey, but her reign was brief as she submitted to Miesha Tate in her first defense less than four months later. The 40-year-old will be making her first appearance in the Octagon since October 2020, when she won a unanimous decision against Irene Aldana. Vieira, who is ranked fifth in the division, posted a similar victory versus Tate in her last fight this past November. The main UFC fight card is set for 7 p.m. ET from the Apex facility in Las Vegas (see tickets at StubHub).
Holm is a -260 favorite (risk $260 to win $100), while Vieira is a +210 underdog in the latest Holm vs. Vieira odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The co-main event is a welterweight fight between 14th-ranked contender Santiago Ponzinibbio (+115) and Michel Pereira (-135). Before locking in any UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.
With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a six-percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000.
In January, Gombas kicked off the 2022 UFC season in memorable fashion by advising SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a battle of ranked featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated to win a unanimous decision and give his followers an easy winner. Anyone who has followed Gombas already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira in sight, Gombas has studied the UFC card from every angle and released his top MMA picks. His expert UFC picks are only available at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira preview
Holm (14-5) enjoyed success in the boxing ring before entering the Octagon, going 33-2-3 and winning championships in three different weight classes while defeating legendary opponents such as Christy Martin and Mia St. John. The switch to mixed martial arts was seamless for her as she won her first 10 fights, including the stunning upset in November 2015 that ended the previously invincible Ronda Rousey's three-year UFC bantamweight title reign.
The star dimmed quickly for Holm as she lost to Miesha Tate in her first defense of the championship. She then dropped decisions against current UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, Germaine de Randamie and Cris Cyborg -- the latter two in featherweight title matches -- before being knocked out by Amanda Nunes in July 2019 in her quest to regain the bantamweight crown.
Holm regrouped by winning unanimous decisions against Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana. But the latter victory came just two weeks before her 40th birthday in October 2020 and she hasn't fought since, as an illness and a knee injury forced her to withdraw from a pair of scheduled bouts last year.
A native of New Mexico, Holm should have her hands full with Vieira (12-2), who defeated Tate via unanimous decision in her last fight this past November. The 30-year-old Brazilian had dropped two of her previous three bouts, including a knockout loss against Aldana in December 2019. Vieira, who is a strong grappler, has been a bantamweight champion in two lesser promotions, holding the title in Mr. Cage and Big Way before joining the UFC in October 2016. You can only see who to back at UFC Fight Night here.
UFC Fight Night predictions
We'll reveal one of Gombas' UFC Fight Night selections here: He is backing Jun Yong Park (-210) to be victorious against Eryk Anders (+175) in their middleweight bout on the main card.
Park (13-5) won seven consecutive fights before losing via submission to Anthony Hernandez in his UFC debut in August 2019. The 31-year-old South Korean, who is a former Yawara FC middleweight champion, won his next three matches but was knocked out by Gregory Rodrigues in his most recent appearance in the Octagon this past October.
Anders (14-6) has won just one of his last four bouts and had his most recent fight in December, when he submitted to an armbar against Andre Muniz. The 35-year-old, who was a linebacker on Alabama's 2009 BCS National Championship team, held the middleweight title in the Legacy Fighting Alliance before joining the UFC in July 2017.
"Anders is solid everywhere, but not amazing anywhere," Gombas told SportsLine. "Park is a good boxer and likely will have a volume edge. He also throws some nice low kicks on the feet. ... I expect this to be a close fight but ultimately favor Park."
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Gombas also has strong picks for Holm vs. Vieira and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He's backing a fighter who "does a great job of luring opponents into their game." Those expert UFC picks and predictions are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Holm vs. Vieira? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who's up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card, betting lines
Holly Holm (-260) vs. Ketlen Vieira (+210)
Santiago Ponzinibbio (+115) vs. Michel Pereira (-135)
Chidi Njokuani (-230) vs. Dusko Todorovic (+190)
Eryk Anders (+180) vs. Jun Yong Park (-220)
Polyana Viana (+100) vs. Tabatha Ricci (-120)
Jailton Almeida (-625) vs. Parker Porter (+450)
Joseph Holmes (-195) vs. Alen Amedovski (+165)
Omar Morales (-155) vs. Uros Medic (+130)
Jonathan Martinez (-220) vs. Vince Morales (+180)
Chase Hooper (+155) vs. Felipe Colares (-180)
Elise Reed (-170) vs. Sam Hughes (+145)