UFC Vegas 34 Main Card Betting Preview

The UFC will head back to its APEX Facility in Las Vegas Nevada on Saturday night for UFC Vegas 34.

Middleweight contenders Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum will square off in what should be a heavy-hitting main event. Meanwhile, veteran competitor Clay Guida will take on former Olympic silver medalist Mark O. Madsen in the co-main event. Heavyweights Chase Sherman and Porter Parker will also throw down in what could be a short fight.

Here are the fights on the UFC Vegas 34 main card and our predictions.

Jared Cannonier vs Kelvin Gastelum

Jared Cannonier is the no. 3 ranked middleweight in the UFC. The 37-year old known as the Killa Gorilla is the former Alaska Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He joined the UFC in 2015 and has picked up a record of 6-5 inside the Octagon. Cannonier saw a three-fight winning streak end in his last fight as he lost on points to Robert Whitaker at UFC 254 last October.

Cannonier is 13-5 with nine knockouts and two submission wins. He is a switch hitter who is 5-11 tall with a reach of 77 inches. He has landed only one takedown in 11 UFC bouts.

Kelvin Gastelum was the TUF 17 tournament winner. The 29-year old is currently the 9th ranked middleweight in the promotion. Gastelum has lost four out of his last five bouts but those losses have come against top-notch competition that includes Israel Adesanya and Robert Whitaker. Gastelum has wins over former champions Michael Bisping and Johny Hendricks.

He has a record of 16-7 with six knockouts and four submission victories. Gastelum is a southpaw who is 5-7 tall with a reach of 71 inches. He averages 1.16 takedowns per 15 minutes and recorded a career-high six in his bout against Ian Heinisch last January.

Cannonier prefers to do his damage on the feet where he has huge punching power for this weight class. He started his career at light heavyweight and knocked out opponents at that weight class. He’s dropped to middleweight and looks comfortable here given his size. Cannonier likes to move forward but doesn’t rush his punches. He also has solid leg kicks thrown from range.

Gastelum is a well-rounder fighter. Of course, we’ve seen him become more successful with his powerful punches but he is also a consistent takedown artist in the UFC with at least one takedown landed per fight. He moves a lot inside the cage and likes to set up traps for his opponents. Gastelum also uses leg kicks to slow down his opponents and land his big right hand.

I won’t blame you if you pick Cannonier because size-wise, he looks to be scarier. But Gastelum is more well-skilled and he’s one of those fighters who have a truly granite chin. He will have to get in and out and pick his shots here. But he can do that, and he will.

Prediction: Kelvin Gastelum

Mark Madsen vs Clay Guida

Mark Madsen is a former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling and a multiple-time medalist at the World Wrestling Championship. The 36-year old from Denmark joined the UFC in 2019 after fighting at Cage Warriors. Madsen is 2-0 inside the Octagon and is 2-0 in the UFC while coming off a decision win over Austin Hubbard in his last bout.

Madsen is 10-0 with three knockouts and three submission wins. This orthodox fighter stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 72 inches.

Clay Guida was the inaugural Strikeforce lightweight champion. Known as the Carpenter, Guida also competed for WEC, King of the Cage, and Shooto. The 39-year old from Illinois has been fighting in the UFC since 2006 but has never challenged for the title. Guida has won just two of his last six bouts but is coming off a win over Michael Johnson.

Guida has a record of 36-20 with seven knockouts and 13 wins via submission. He is 5-7 tall with a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Madsen is a physical specimen inside the Octagon. His combination of technique and strength in the clinch can be very debilitating for his opponent. His stand-up game however isn’t a threat and is mostly used to set up his takedowns.

Guida has used his wrestling as the path to victory for most of his career. The Carpenter pushes a pace that opponents have found hard to match. But over the years, he’s also developed a formidable striking game that makes him dangerous on the feet as well.

Madsen will likely have the wrestling advantage early. But Guida has never really been dominated on the mat for an entire bout. Plus, Madsen displayed fatigue late in his bout against Hubbard, and given the pace that Guida fights at, that could happen here again. If Guida stays away from compromising positions to get submitted, Guida’s pace and experience will see him win here.

Prediction: Clay Guida

Chase Sherman vs Parker Porter

Chase Sherman fought under Titan FC before coming over to the UFC. This 31-year old from Mississippi is a former NCAA Division II wrestler from Delta State University. Sherman is also a former BKFC heavyweight champion and is 1-1 in his second stint with the UFC

Sherman is 15-7 with 14 knockouts and had won four straight bouts via knockout before losing to Andrei Arlovski in his most recent outing. Sherman is 6-4 tall with a 78-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Parker Porter is a former Reality FC heavyweight champion. The 36-year old from Hartford Connecticut was knocked out by Chis Daukaus in his UFC debut but bounced back with a points win over Josh Parisian last November

Porter is 11-6 with five wins via knockout and three by way of submission. He is 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Sherman isn’t the fighter who will see consistent success in the UFC. However, if he’s going down, he’s going down swinging. Sherman has scored a knockout in all but one of his victories and he’s the guy who always finds himself in a shootout.

Porter is the more well-rounded fighter. He has decent striking but will also use the takedowns and go for submissions. Porter also has terrific volume for a big guy and he is very durable with his solid chin.

However, Sherman is younger and has the physical advantages over Porter and the latter will need a knockout or a dominant striking performance to get the victory. Sherman turns this to a scrappy affair where he should be able to land one of his bombs.

Prediction: Chase Sherman

Vinc Pichel vs Austin Hubbard

Vinc Pichel was a contestant at TUF: Live and has been fighting since 2009. The 38-year old from California had an unbeaten 7-0 record when he joined the UFC in 2012. After losing his UFC debut, Pichel is 7-1 in his last eight bouts and is coming off a decision win over Jim Miller.

Pichel is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-10 tall with a 72-inch reach. He has a record of 13-2 with 8 knockouts.

Austin Hubbard is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight champion. The 29-year old from Sterling, Illinois is just 3-3 since joining the UFC and has alternated between a loss and a win in six bouts. Hubbard is coming off a win over Dakota Bush last April.

He has a record of 13-5 with five knockouts and two submission victories. Hubbard is 5-10 tall with a 71-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance.

 

Pichel is big and strong and he likes to impose his size against his opponents, breaking them down using his wrestling and constant pressure. However, he’s fought just seven times since 2014 although he’s lost just once during that span.

Hubbard was a touted prospect but has never been able to showcase his skills inside the Octagon. He possesses solid kickboxing but has been unable to defend the grappling attacks of talented ground artists.

If Hubbard keeps this fight on the feet, he’s got a good chance to win it. However, Pichel is too aggressive and he’s going to land his takedowns in this bout. I think Pichel scores a takedown early and takes a bit of a lead that carries him to victory.

Prediction: Vinc Pichel

Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval

Alexandre Pantoja is the no. 3 ranked flyweight in the UFC. He is a former RFA and Shooto flyweight champion who joined the UFC in 2017. The 31-year old Brazilian is 5-2 in his last seven bouts and is coming off a win over Manel Kape last February 6th.

Pantoja is 23-5 with 8 knockouts and 8 submission wins. He is an orthodox fighter who is 5-5 tall and has a 67-inch reach.

Brandon Royval is the former LFA flyweight champion who is also the no. 6 ranked flyweight in the UFC. The 29-year old from Denver, Colorado won his first two UFC fights via submission and earned Fight of the Night honors. He lost to current UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in his last bout.

Royval is 12-5 with three knockouts and eight submission wins. He is a southpaw fighter who stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 68 inches.

Pantoja has a high-level BJJ black belt on the mat and his kickboxing game has improved over the years. In recent bouts, he’s shown an effective outside leg kick and the ability to brawl with the best in the division.

Royval is primarily a grappler who sometimes emerges with submission wins. But he’s also proven himself to be competitive on the feet, making him an all-around fighter.

I think these two will slug it out in the center of the Octagon. However, I trust that Pantoja has the better all-around game and he’s the more experienced fighter between these two. He also seems to have the cleaner striking.

Prediction: Alexandre Pantoja

Trevin Jones vs Saidyokub Kakhramonov

This may be Kakhramonov’s first bout but he’s fought in the big stages of the CFFL and PFC so I don’t expect any jitters from him. As for his fighting style, he’s an exciting striker who has some pop in his punches. Kakhramonov has also shown a decent submission game.

Everyone thinks Trevin Jones is a knockout artist. But he’s also a high-level grappler However, Jones’ striking defense isn’t polished and he often gets hit with more shots than he can land. Jones also has suspect cardio which Kakhramanov could take advantage of.

However, remember that Kakhramonov is taking this fight on short notice while Jones had a full camp. The latter also has the bigger pop in his punches so I’ll roll with the guy I know better of.

Prediction: Trevin Jones

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