UFC Vegas 6 Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC returns to its APEX Facility in Las Vegas for UFC Vegas 6 on August 8, 2020. Headlining the event is a heavyweight tussle between Derrick Lewis and Aleksei Oleinik. With a smaller cage, don’t expect the headliner to go the distance. Lewis is a known knockout artist while Oleinik is a submission expert so this is a classic battle between a puncher and grappler.

In the co-main event, Chris Weidman takes on Omari Akhmedov in a must-win bout for the former UFC middleweight champion. There are other exciting matchups in the event and in this article, we’ll take a look at the bouts in the main card of UFC Vegas 6:

Derrick Lewis vs Aleksei Oleinik

Derrick Lewis is the 4th ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 35-year old from New Orleans is a former Legacy FC heavyweight champion who also fought for Bellator. The Black Beast is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-3 tall and has a reach of 79 inches. He owns notable wins over Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Travis Brown, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Roy Nelson. Lewis is 23-7 with 18 knockouts and one win via submission.

Aleksei Oleinik is the 10th ranked heavyweight in the UFC. Known as the Boa Constrictor, this 43-year old Russian fighter began fighting in 1997 and he has appeared in organizations like M-1 Global, Bellator, and KSW. Oleinik is the only fighter to win a fight via Ezekiel choke and he has done so 12 times. He stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 80 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Lewis is known for his punching power and there is no doubt that once he steps inside the cage, he wants to walk away with a stoppage. The Black Beast doesn’t need too many punches to win fights. Nobody wants to get into a brawl with him. However, Lewis has a tendency to fade late in his bouts. He lives and dies with his striking and he always hopes that he finds his target early. Oleinik may be the best submission artist in the history of the division, perhaps even better than Fabricio Werdum. He uses his striking to close the distance and although he has pop in his punches, he prefers to take his opponents to the mat where he can finish the fight in any position. There is definitely betting value on Oleinik but Lewis’ takedown defense has improved lately and he has become a smarter fighter. I like Lewis to tag Oleinik with a bomb.

Prediction: Derrick Lewis (-190)

Chris Weidman vs Omari Akhmedov

Chris Weidman is the former UFC middleweight champion who is best remembered for ending Anderson Silva’s long reign in the UFC. The former All-American wrestler at Hofstra held the belt for two years before losing to Luke Rockhold. Weidman is 6-2 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 14-5 with six knockouts and four wins via submission.

Omari Akhmedov is the 11th ranked middleweight in the UFC. The 32-year old from Russia is an accomplished combat sambo practitioner who also practices Russian pankration. He signed with the UFC in 2013 and has compiled a record of 8-3-1 inside the octagon. Akhmedov stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 78 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He is undefeated in his last six UFC bouts with one draw during that period.

Weidman has won just once since his loss at UFC 194 and is coming off a first-round knockout loss in his 205-pound debut. He is already 36 years old and is in a must-win spot here. He is a two-time All-American wrestler so you know where he excels. He is underrated on his feet and he has some pop in his punches. There’s no questioning his skills but his chin and his heart may no longer be there anymore. Akhmedov comes from a wrestling background but he’s added combat sambo and hand-to-hand combat to his arsenal over the years. He has a solid chin and is a powerful striker. I’m surprised why Weidman is the favorite here. He’s in a slump and is facing a real killer in Akhmedov. Weidman may be bigger but it’s hard to back up someone who’s been knocked out in five out of his last six bouts.

Prediction: Omari Akhmedov (+110)

Darren Stewart vs Maki Pitolo

Darren Stewart is a former Killacam Promotions light heavyweight champion who also fought for Cage Warriors. The 29-year old from East London is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches. Stewart has a record of 11-5 with seven knockouts. He is 4-5 under the UFC and is coming off a loss to Bartosz Fabinski at Cage Warriors 113 last March.

Maki Pitolo fought Destiny MMA, VFC, Cage Fury, and Bellator before earning a UFC contract via the Contender Series. This 29-year old from Hawaii has a record of 13-5 with seven knockouts and three wins via submission. Pitolo is coming off a TKO win over Charles Byrd at UFC 250. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

I expect action from this fight as these fighters have a combined 14 knockout wins. Stewart is a scrapper and an athletic striker who really loves to rumble in the clinch. Pitolo is an aggressive brawler who likes to exchange punches in the pocket. This should be a fun fight between two fighters whose middle names are violence. What you have to watch out for here are Stewart’s elbows and Pitolo’s body punches. Between these two fighters though, I like Stewart because I think that he is more durable and he hits harder. I don’t think Pitolo can defend Stewart’s strikes. He gets hit by a big combo and this fight is over.

Prediction: Darren Stewart (-150)

Yana Kunitskaya vs Julija Stoliarenko

Yana Kunitskaya is the 8th ranked female bantamweight in the UFC. The 30-year old Ris a former Russian Taekwondo and Muay Thai champion before transitioning to MMA. She is a former Invicta FC bantamweight champion who has a 12-5 record with seven knockouts and one win via submission. Foxy stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 68 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. She is coming off a loss to Aspen Ladd last December 2019.

Julika Stoliarenko is the current Invicta FC bantamweight champion who is also the former ILFJ women’s featherweight champion. The 27-year old Lithuanian was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters and is also a former Celtic Gladiator women’s bantamweight champion. She is 9-3 with eight wins via knockout and stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 66 inches.

Kunitskaya has very good kickboxing skills and her clinch work and takedowns have made her tough to beat. Since moving to 135 pounds, she has really proven herself. On the other hand, Stoliarenko is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt who has eight submission wins. But not only is she a grappler, she was an unbeaten champion in Lethwei, a Burmese martial art that uses bare-knuckle punches and head butts. But Stoliarenko is taking this fight on two weeks’ notice and Kunitskaya has the skills to win rounds and go the distance.

Prediction: Yana Kunitskaya (-220)

Beneil Dariush vs Scott Holtzman

Beneil Dariush is the 14th ranked lightweight in the UFC. The Iranian-born American is a former World No-Gi BJJ world champion and Pan American Championship winner. Dariush was the RITC lightweight champion and he has a record of 18-4 with four knockouts and eight wins by submission. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Scott Holtzman is a former Xtreme Fighting Championships lightweight champion. The 36-year old from Knoxville, Tennessee joined the UFC in 2015 and he has a record of 7-3 inside the UFC Octagon. Holtzman stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 69 inches and is an orthodox fighter. His overall record is 14-3 with five knockouts and two wins via submission.

This has a makings of a great fight. Dariush hit a wall just when he was on the rise. But he’s bounced back and looks more dangerous than ever. He excels on the mat with his Jiu-Jitsu skills and is also dangerous on his feet with his southpaw stance and kickboxing arsenal. Holtzman has great momentum and has put on some outstanding performances lately. He is an aggressive brawler who loves to exchange in the pocket and is good at setting up his power shots. Holtzman has struggled on his back while Dariush is an expert on the mat. Dariush’s durability is a question mark but he is, without doubt, the more dangerous fighter. I think this will be one of the more competitive fights in the event. But the difference here is Dariush’s grappling skills.

Prediction: Beneil Dariush (-190)

Place Your Bets Here