UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Harris Prelims Undercard Betting Odds and Preview

The UFC makes a quick turnaround after successfully holding two events in Florida since last weekend.

After UFC 249, the UFC held Fight Night: Smith vs Teixeira last Wednesday at the same venue. On Saturday, the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida will host another UFC event, this time UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Harris.

Heavy-hitting heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris clash in the main event but before the big boys go at it a six-fight prelims undercard precedes the main show. The prelims are headlined by veteran Matt Brown but most of the fighters in the show are newcomers from the DWCS.

Let’s take a look at the prelims undercard bouts and make our predictions:

Don’Tale Mayes vs Rodrigo Nascimento

Don’Tale Mayes lost his first bout in the DWCS circuit in 2017 but he persevered, got another shot, and now he’s in the UFC. The former LFA and RFA heavyweight has a record of 7-3 with four knockouts and one win via submission. He is coming off a submission loss to Cyril Gane at UFC Singapore. Mayes stands 6-6 tall with a reach of 81 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Rodrigo Nascimento is another product of the DWCS. He is unbeaten in seven MMA bouts and is coming off a submission win over Michal Martinek at DWCS 22 last July 2019. The 27-year old Brazilian stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 80 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. This will be Nascimento’s first octagon appearance.

Mayes has the physical attributes to give anyone a challenge and he has worked on his striking to make himself a threat. However, his defense and cardio are question marks that need to be answered. Nascimento is shorter but has the same length and explosiveness as his opponent. But what should be the difference-maker in this fight is his BJJ background. This is his first UFC bout but I think he’s one of the better grapplers in the heavyweight division. If he can take Hayes down then that will be all she wrote.

Prediction: Rodrigo Nascimento (-106)

Darren Elkins vs Nate Landwehr

Darren Elkins is one of the veterans in the UFC’s roster. The 35-year old is a former C3 Lightweight champion who joined the UFC in 2010. He owns wins over Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson, and Dennis Bermudez. Elkins has a record of 24-8 with 8 knockouts and four wins by submission. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Elkins has lost three straight bouts heading to this contest.

Nate Landwehr is a former M-1 Challenge Featherweight champion who joined the UFC just recently. The Train is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-9 tall and has a reach of 72 inches. He has a record of 13-3 with 8 wins coming by way of knockout. Landwehr suffered a knockout loss in his UFC debut and is looking to bounce back against the veteran Elkins.

Landwehr entered the UFC with a lot of hype but he had a disappointing debut as he was knocked out by submission specialist Herbert Burns. He likes to move forward and swing for the fences and that could be a problem against a durable fighter like Elkins. Elkins has been knocked out three times before but this experienced fighter is very durable and has shown that he can take damage. I don’t discount an upset because Elkins is now 35 years old but given Landwehr’s strengths, I’ll still go with the old dog.

Prediction: Darren Elkins (-125)

Cortney Casey Sanchez vs Mara Romero Borella

Cortney Casey Sanchez once challenged for the XFC women’s flyweight title and also fought for the PXC promotion. She joined the UFC in 2015 and has won only four out of her 10 octagon appearances. Casey has a record of 8-7 with three knockouts and three wins by submission. She stands 5-7 with a reach of 67 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Mara Romero Borella fought in Europe and at Invicta FC before joining the UFC in 2017. This 33-year old Italian is a former Kombat League bantamweight champion. She is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 69 inches. Borella has a record of 12-7 with three knockouts and four wins via submission.

It took Cortney Casey 10 fights to finally move up in weight class. No, she didn’t have problems making weight in her previous fights, and in fact, she had the edge over her opponents because she was naturally bigger. However, the extra 10 pounds may be the reason why she hasn’t been aa explosive in recent bouts. We might see the old Casey back on Saturday night. Borella is a fighter who fights whatever style her opponent wants to. She has decent power, good grappling, and exceptional durability. If she can force this fight to the mat, I think she wins. However, I’m looking forward to seeing a more effective Cortney Casey.

Prediction: Cortney Casey Sanchez (-150)

Giga Chikadze vs Mike Davis

Giga Chikadze fought for the WSOF and Gladiator Challenge before heading to the UFC. The 31-year old from Georgia is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches. He has a record of 9-2 with five knockouts and two wins via submission. He is 2-0 in the UFC with both wins coming by way of a split decision.

New York’s Mike Davis fought for the House of Fame and Square Ring Promotions before reaching the UFC after a stint at DWCS. The 27-year old stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 8-2 with seven knockouts and one win via submission.

Chikadze is a former kickboxer and Davis has a boxing background so it’s not a surprise why these two fight alike. Both are good strikers who like to fight moving forward and are aggressive inside the octagon. Neither likes to fight on the ground so this one should be a stand-up battle all night long. This is a pretty even fight for me and I think the difference here is that Chikadze tends to fade late in his fights.

Prediction: Mike Davis (-190)

Kevin Holland vs Anthony Hernandez

Kevin Holland is a veteran who has fought for Bellator, King of the Cage, and Legacy FA. This 27-year old Californian appeared in the DWCS and got Thiago Santos as his first UFC assignment. Of course, he lost, but Holland picked up three straight wins before losing to Brendan Allen in his most recent bout. He stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 81 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Holland is 16-5 with seven knockouts and six wins via submission.

Anthony Hernandez is a veteran of GKO and Legacy FC who was also a product of the DWCS. He is 1-1 inside the octagon and is coming off a win over Jun Yong Park. The 26-yar old from California stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Hernandez has a record of 7-1 with one knockout and five wins by submission.

Holland has been a busy fighter with six fights in hist less than two years stint in the UFC. He’s unorthodox, entertaining, and a tough fighter who doesn’t back down from any challenge. A lot of people are high on Anthony Hernandez after the prospect demolished the opposition at Dana White’s Contender Series. After losing his first UFC bout, he bounced back with an impressive win in his second outing. I think Holland is the tougher dude here but Hernandez has slick submission moves that will win this bout.

Prediction: Kevin Holland (-105)

Matt Brown vs Miguel Baeza

Matt Brown is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters. The Immortal was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter 7 tournament. Although he lost to eventual winner Amir Sadollah in the quarterfinals, he earned a UFC contract. Brown fought and lost to Robbie Lawler in a title eliminator in 2014.

The Immortal is 39-years old already and he stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 75 inches. The orthodox fighter has a record of 22-16 with 14 knockouts and six wins by submission. After a stretch where he lost five of six bouts, Brown has won two straight fights and is coming off a win over Ben Saunders.

Miguel Baeza is a product of the DWCS. The 27-year old from Davie, Florida fought for Titan FC and Fight Time Promotions before getting a UFC contract. He made a successful UFC debut last October 12, 2019, when he knocked out Hector Aldana at UFC Fight Night 161.

Known as Caramel Thunder, Baeza stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 74 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He owns an MMA record of 8-0 with six of his wins coming by way of knockout. Four of his KO victories have come inside the very first round.

Wear and tear have caught up with one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. Matt Brown has fought just once in two and a half years because of an ACL injury. But in that lone fight, he still looked good enough to compete for a couple more years. Brown is known for his elbows in the clinch but his all-around game is underrated. Baeza has a good mix of boxing and kicking in his arsenal. He is also durable although we haven’t seen him fight quality opposition. I think that Matt Brown will be a big test for him and he is going to fail. Baeza keeps his hands low and I think Brown can land something big to pull off the upset. I’ll take the plus money here.

Prediction: Matt Brown (+142)

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