UFC Vegas 14: Dos Anjos vs Felder Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC heads to its APEX Facility in Las Vegas this weekend for UFC Vegas 14. This event nearly lost its headliner when Islam Makhachev pulled out of his scheduled date with Rafael Dos Anjos for unknown reasons. The UFC scrambled to find an opponent for RDA and the promotion was glad that Paul Felder agreed to take the fight on less than a week’s notice.

Dos Anjos will be returning to lightweight after an unproductive stint at welterweight. He was looking to barge in the rankings with a win over Makhachev but will get the opportunity to barge in the Top 10 or even higher if he beats the 7th ranked lightweight in Felder.

Let’s take a look at the fights in the main card and make our predictions:

Rafael Dos Anjos vs Paul Felder

Rafael Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champion. The 36-year old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is the 12th ranked lightweight in the promotion. RDA has been fighting in the UFC since 2008 and has dropped four out of his last five bouts, beginning with his interim title fight loss to Colby Covington at UFC 225. RDA is a southpaw who stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 70 inches. He has a record of 29-13 with 5 knockouts and 10 wins via submission. Dos Anjos is coming off back to back losses to Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa.

Paul Felder is the 7th ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 35-year old fought for Cage Fury Fighting Championship and was a lightweight champion at that organization. Felder is 5-2 in his last seven bouts and is coming off a razor-thin split decision loss to Dan Hooker last February. The Philadelphia native has won a total of five post-fight bonuses. Felder is 5-11 tall with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 17-5 with 10 knockouts and one win via submission.

Felder is an obvious betting underdog here as he took the fight on five days’ notice. He was a commentator for this event last week but has suddenly been thrust into the main event. But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t in shape. Dos Anjos hasn’t looked good as of late and he is dropping back to lightweight here. Felder has that brawl and pressure style that will always keep him in this fight. He also possesses that fight-changing punching power that makes him an interesting underdog here. Felder will push the pace here and if he can land his big punches, RDA will struggle against him all night long. Dos Anjos is a good pick to make but I’ll take my chances with Felder and the plus money.

Prediction: Paul Felder

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Khaos Williams

Alhassan has been fighting since 2013 and he’s fought for Bellator and Legacy Fighting Championship. This 35-year old from Ghana joined the UFC in 2016. He is 4-2 inside the octagon and is coming off a loss to Mounir Lazzez last July which snapped a three-fight winning streak. He is a 5-10 fighter who has a reach of 73 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Alhassan has a record of 10-2 with 10 knockouts.

Khaos Williams fought for KOTC and TWC before joining the UFC earlier this year. He had an auspicious debut, knocking out Alex Morono in just 27 seconds while absorbing only one strike. The 26-year old from Lansing, Michigan stands six feet tall with a reach of 77 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 10-1 with five knockouts and one win via submission.

Alhassan is always looking to end his bouts in a hurry and he carries thunderous punching power that helps him achieve his goals. He is most dangerous in the opening minutes but tends to slow down after one round and fade if the fight goes deep. Williams doesn’t have the same punching power as his opponent but he likes to slug it out and has never been stopped before. He also appears to be the technically better striker between the two so there’s a chance he wins this, especially if he survives the first five minutes. However, the difference in striking skill isn’t as glaring as the difference in power and the latter will prove to be the difference here.

Prediction: Abdul Razak Alhassan

Julian Marquez vs Saparbeg Saparov

Julian Marquez appeared for different promotions including Bellator and LFA before joining the Contender Series in 2017. He earned a UFC contract after knocking out Phil Hawes in the event and is 1-1 inside the Octagon. In his last bout, Marquez lost a split decision to Alessio Di Chirico last July. He is 6-2 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Marquez is 7-2 with six knockouts and one win via submission.

Saparberg Sarapov fought in Russia before joining the UFC. This 34-year old from Dagestan is a master of sports in Combat Sambo and Freestyle Wrestling. Sarapov is just 1-3 inside the Octagon and heads to this fight coming off a submission loss against Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 248. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 78 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Marquez is a rugged middleweight who has a physically bruising style of fighting. He has good dirty boxing and loves to engage. Saparov is a wild man. Once he hears the opening bell, he swings until he tires out, hoping to land one big shot that changes the fight. He is a combat sambo and freestyle wrestling master but we have yet to see either inside the Octagon. I think this will be a war early but Saparov fades fast and that’s when Marquez will take over and force a finish.

Prediction: Julian Marquez

Eryk Anders vs Antonio Arroyo

Eryk Anders is a former LFA middleweight champion who was a former college football player from Alabama. He joined the UFC in 2017 and is 5-5 under the UFC banner. The 33-year old from Birmingham, Alabama won his first 10 bouts but is just 3-5 since then. Anders is a southpaw who stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 75 inches. His record stands at 13-5 with 8 knockouts and one submission.

Antonio Arroyo fought in his native Brazil before heading to the LFA and Fierce FC. The 31-year old orthodox fighter stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 73 inches and joined the UFC after back to back wins in the Contender series. Arroyo lost to Andre Muniz in his UFC debut in November 2019. He has a record of 9-3 with four knockouts and four wins via submission.

Anders used to be that athletic southpaw who has an aggressive offense that flattens his opponents. But he’s regressed as he’s tried to become a more versatile fighter. Sure, he’s a better all-around combatant now but while trying to do so, he’s lost some of his appetite to engage which leads him to be outworked. Arroyo is a balanced fighter who has good finishing ability and a very good kicking game. However, Anders is a tough man to finish. He is also hard to take down and hits like a hammer. This will be a close fight but I expect Anders to win because of his left hand.

Prediction: Eryk Anders

Brendan Allen vs Sean Strickland

Allen is the former Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion who joined the UFC via the Contender series. The 24-year old from Beaufort, South Carolina is undefeated in his last seven bouts with six stoppage victories during that period. Allen heads to this fight after defeating Kyle Daukaus in his most recent bout. He is 6-2 tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. His record is 15-3 with five knockouts and 8 wins via submission.

Sean Strickland is the former King of the Cage middleweight champion. The 29-year old from New Bern, North Carolina made five straight title defenses of his KOTC title before joining the UFC. Strickland is 8-3 inside the UFC Octagon and enters this contest with two straight wins. He is 6-1 tall with a reach of 76 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. His record is 21-3 with nine knockouts and four wins via submission.

Strickland looked great in his last bout and we’ve seen him hold his own against some of the best fighters in the division. He also has enough grappling to keep up with Allen wherever this fight goes. However, Allen has been impressive in recent years and has the BJJ and ability to finish his opponent that should help him win this fight. This is a quick turnaround for Strickland and while that says that he must be feeling good about himself, I think that this is too soon for a fight. This should be one of the more competitive fights in the evening and it could very well go either way. Because of that, I will lean towards the fresher fighter.

Prediction: Brendan Allen

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