The UFC is back at the Apex for a second consecutive weekend of Fight Night action with Anthony Hernandez and Roman Dolidze set to meet in the main event.
Hernandez looking to extend his winning streak to eight in a row and Dolidze is riding a three-fight streak into the weekend. The top-10 middleweight contenders headline a 12-bout card that also features a bantamweight contest between Steve Erceg and Ode’ Osbourne.
Erceg and Osbourne are flyweight competitors but this matchup came together on less than a week’s notice and will be contested at 135 pounds instead of 125 pounds. Osbourne is Erceg’s third scheduled opponent for this card and will be looking to build off an April win, while Erceg – who was originally scheduled to face Alex Perez then Hyun Sung Park – is aiming to snap a three-fight skid.
Hernandez and Erceg are both heavyweight betting favourites, which is a theme throughout his card. In fact, only two betting favourites have odds longer than -185 as of the official weigh-in.
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Middleweights Roman Dolidze and Anthony Hernandez headline the action at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Watch UFC Fight Night on Saturday, Aug. 9 on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
Hernandez missed weight by half a pound on his first attempt at Friday’s weigh-ins. Also, Joselyne Edwards and Julija Stoliarenko were each off the mark by a quarter-pound ahead of their respective matchups with Priscila Cachoeira and Gabriella Fernandes.
All three athletes did successfully hit the mark on their second attempt to avoid a fine. Every other fighter scheduled to compete made weight on their first attempt.
Below is the projected bout order plus predictions for Saturday’s card:
MAIN CARD
— Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
— Steve Erceg vs. Ode’ Osbourne
— Iasmin Lucindo vs. Angela Hill
— Andre Fili vs. Christian Rodriguez
— Miles Johns vs. Jean Matsumoto
— Eryk Anders vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Julius Walker vs. Raffael Cerqueira
— Elijah Smith vs. Toshiomi Kazama
— Joselyne Edwards vs. Priscila Cachoeira
— Uros Medic vs. Gilbert Urbina
— Gabriella Fernandes vs. Julija Stoliarenko
— Cody Brundage vs. Eric McConico
Ahead of each UFC event in 2025, UFC reporter Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter), producer Dan Fernandes (@DanFernandes__) and writer/editor Mike Johnston (@MikeyJ_MMA) will peruse the odds and make four betting predictions using fantasy dollars: one best bet, one favourite, one underdog and one dart throw wager. REMINDER: Sportsnet is committed to promoting and educating audiences about the importance of betting responsibly. Sources for responsible gambling can be found HERE.
AARON’S PICKS
Cage Lock: Lucindo vs. Hill goes the distance -588
Favourite: Anthony Hernandez -300
Underdog: Priscila Cachoeira +300
Dart Throw: Ode’ Osbourne +425
Hill has gone to decision in 13 of her last 14 fights, while Lucindo has gone the distance in six of her seven UFC outings. I’m confident this fight follows suit. … Hernandez is a sizeable favourite for a reason. I expect him to outlast Dolidze and frustrate him over the course of the fight. … Edwards is always in close fights and Cachoeira looked great in her (official) move to bantamweight. I could see her squeaking out a decision by landing the bigger strikes if she keeps the fight on the feet. … Erceg has lost three straight and, while they have been against elite flyweights, Osbourne has the power to test anyone’s chin at flyweight.
DAN’S PICKS
Cage Lock: Christian Leroy Duncan -550
Favourite: Cody Brundage -155
Underdog: Angela Hill +150
Dart Throw: Stoliarenko by submission +700
It could be punters delight on Saturday night, with so many big favourites on the card, at least one is bound to slip up. The problem is trying figure out which of these underdogs has the best chance of upsetting the odds. I don’t think Christian Leroy Duncan is in any real danger versus Erik Anders. Simple as that. So, I’m taking in CLD as my lock. … I think Cody Brundage at -155 is good value. He gives up a significant reach advantage to Eric McConico but his Octagon experience should be able to nullify that threat en route to victory. … Angela Hill has upset the odds so many times throughout her career that it would be riskier to bet against her. Iasmin Lucindo is coming off a decision loss to Amanda Lemos while Hill has won three of her past four bouts. … Julija Stoliarenko will either win by submission or lose the fight trying. Gabriella Fernandes is the favourite in this one but Stoliarenko’s relentless pursuit of a submission makes her a live underdog in my opinion.
MIKE’S PICKS
Cage Lock: Julius Walker inside the distance -500
Favourite: Cody Brundage -155
Underdog: Roman Dolidze +260
Dart Throw: Jean Matsumoto by Round 2 submission +1200
“Fluffy” is the rightful favourite in the main event based on his current streak but I see Dolidze as a live dog at a nice number. … There isn’t much value betting favourites on this card but Brundage could be one of them. He simply has more tools than McConico so as long as he’s in shape – it is a short-notice matchup after all – he has multiple paths to victory. … Would be shocked if Julius Walker vs. Raffael Cerqueira went the distance and equally shocked if Cerqueira pulled off the upset. … Jean Matsumoto vs. Miles Johns is an underrated matchup that could go down to the wire (honestly it’ll likely be a 29-28 type of decision) but I’ll wager Matsumoto bounces back from his first career loss, which was a close split decision to Rob Font, in an impressive way.
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
Three legs: Lucindo vs. Hill goes distance + Leroy Duncan + Walker by finish
Parlay odds: -152 (to win: $65.94)
2025 STANDINGS AFTER 26 EVENTS
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
2025 record: 15-11 (W1)
2025 winnings: +$302.49 (on $100 bets)
AARON’S RECORDS/TOTALS (55-48-1, +18.17 units)
Cage Lock: 21-5 (-$66.37)
Favourite: 12-14 (-$746.61)
Underdog: 15-10-1 (+$1,280.24)
Dart throw: 7-19 (+$1,350)
DAN’S RECORDS/TOTALS (54-47-3, -5.72 units)
Cage Lock: 22-4 (+$18.21)
Favourite: 15-10-1 (-$275.92)
Underdog: 15-10-1 (+$875.24)
Dart throw: 2-23-1 (-$1,190)
MIKE’S RECORDS/TOTALS (46-54-4, -14.07 units)
Cage Lock: 20-6 (+$37.77)
Favourite: 15-11 (-$110.14)
Underdog: 10-14-2 (+$500)
Dart throw: 1-23-2 (-$1,835)
Cage Lock: The pick deemed to be the wager most likely to win regardless of what the odds look like. The Cage Locks parlay will combine Aaron’s, Dan’s and Mike’s respective best bet for each event.
Favourite: A fighter with winning odds shorter than -300 but not longer than -110. On chalkier cards with a dearth of available moneyline favourites that meet those criteria, prop bets are allowed to be selected.
Underdog: Any fighter with longer odds than their opponent’s.
Dart Throw: Any prop bet or moneyline wager with odds of +400 or longer.
(Betting odds above are via BetMGM, submitted at various times throughout week, and subject to change prior to the fights)
