The UFC returns to Las Vegas with one of the best Fight Night cards we have seen in some time. The night’s events will culminate with a five-round bout between former light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz and the rapidly rising star, Rakic. The winner will likely get a title shot against whoever wins at UFC 275 between Teixeira and Prochazk. Get up-to-date odds and pre-fight info for all main card bouts at the latest UFC Fight Night event.
UFC Fight Night – Blachowicz vs. Rakic
- Date: Saturday, May 14
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, United States
- Prelims: 7:30 PM ET
- Main Card: 10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: View on ESPN+ or with the UFC Fight Pass
Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic – UFC Fight Odds
This fight was initially booked for UFC Columbus in March but was rescheduled. After much anticipation, this bout determines who will be the number one contender in the light heavyweight division.
Rakic has some great grappling that he has used in some recent fights, but he will have a hard time dominating Blachowiz on the ground.
Jan Blachowicz held the title until recently, when he faced Glover Teixeira in October of last year. The Brazilian submitted Blachowicz in the second round and walked out of the Octagon as the new champion. Previous to that loss, the Pole was on a five-fight win streak, including successfully defending his belt against the phenom, Israel Adesanya.
Blachowicz looks impressive everywhere and has a 61% finish rate, including eight knockouts and nine submission wins. The 39-year-old is about as experienced as you can be, with 37 professional fights to his name.
Aleksandar Rakic made his entry into the UFC in 2017. Since then he has only been defeated once. That was in a split decision against Volkan Oezdemir back in December 2019. Since then, he has picked up decision wins against Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos to rise the rankings to the number three spot.
Rakic has an abundance of experience despite being nine years younger than Blachowicz. Vegas oddsmakers have the Austrian as a -150 favorite because he has a high striking output with 4.23 significant strikes per 15minutes and a takedown defense of 90%.
Rakic has some great grappling that he has used in some recent fights, but he will have a hard time dominating Blachowiz on the ground. This means we can expect a striking match from the pair, and both have plenty of knockout power.
| Jan Blachowicz | vs | Aleksandar Rakic |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Age | 30 |
| 37 | Fights | 16 |
| 28 | Wins | 14 |
| 9 | Losses | 2 |
| 8 | KO’s | 9 |
| 9 | Subs | 1 |
| 6′ 2 | Height (feet) | 6′ 4 |
| 78 | Reach (inches) | 78 |
| 205.00 | Weight (lbs) | 206.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Win |
Ryan Spann vs. Ion Cutelaba – UFC Fight Odds
This light heavyweight bout features two fighters on the cusp of breaking into the top ten rankings. The fight was originally scheduled to go ahead in February, but Spann suffered an injury in training.
Both fighters have battled against Devin Clark and Misha Cirkunov within the Octagon. Spann comes out on top with a 2-0 record compared to Cutelaba’s 1-1 against this shared opposition.
Ryan Spann is looking to make a comeback after losing his last fight against Anthony Smith in September, when he was submitted in the first round.
Spann has a six-inch reach advantage as well as an 85% finish rate, including five knockouts and 11 submissions. Despite all of this, he is an underdog to pass Cutelaba on the night.
Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba has had his fair share of ups and downs since joining the UFC ranks in 2016. He suffered back-to-back first-round knockouts at the hands of Magomed Ankalaev in 2020.
The Moldovian recovered from adversity with a solid performance against Dustin Jacoby that ended in a draw in 2021, followed by a win against Devin Clark in September.
Cutelaba will look to put together a win against Spann to build a winning streak and break into the top ten. The 28-year-old has an 88% finish rate, with 12 knockouts and two submission victories, and is the favorite win.
| Ryan Spann | vs | Ion Cutelaba |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Age | 28 |
| 26 | Fights | 24 |
| 19 | Wins | 16 |
| 7 | Losses | 6 |
| 5 | KO’s | 12 |
| 11 | Subs | 2 |
| 6′ 5 | Height (feet) | 6′ 0 |
| 81.5 | Reach (inches) | 75 |
| 206.00 | Weight (lbs) | 205.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Win |
Davey Grant vs. Louis Smolka – UFC Fight Odds
Both of these fighters have suffered recent losses, so they will be eager to come out on top and start their comeback journey in the bantamweight division.
Davey Grant hasn’t exactly been living up to his nickname of “Dangerous” recently, with two decision losses against Marlon Vera and Adrian Yanez.
The UK fighter has an 82% finishing rate and before losing these two most recent fights, was on a three-fight winning streak. While he is the elder of the pair, he has a slight reach advantage and enters as the sportsbooks pick to win with odds of -285.
Louis Smolka has been on a rollercoaster ride in the UFC since 2018. With alternative wins and losses since October 2018. He can continue in this pattern with a win against the Brit following his recent loss against Vince Morales.
“Da Last Samurai” is the younger of the pair by six years and has an 89% finishing rate, eight knockout wins, and seven submissions.
The American is predominantly a striker and will be at a severe disadvantage on the ground against Grant. The 30-year-old’s most likely shot at winning is to keep things standing.
| Louis Smolka | vs | Davey Grant |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Age | 36 |
| 25 | Fights | 19 |
| 17 | Wins | 11 |
| 8 | Losses | 6 |
| 8 | KO’s | 3 |
| 7 | Subs | 8 |
| 5′ 8 | Height (feet) | 5′ 8 |
| 68.5 | Reach (inches) | 69 |
| 135.50 | Weight (lbs) | 135.50 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Loss |
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Amanda Ribas – UFC Fight Odds
This fight will pit the number one women’s flyweight contender Chookagian against the striking power of Ribas.
Katlyn Chookagian is on a three-fight win streak, with all of these victories coming from the judge’s scorecards. In January, the American’s latest triumph was against Jennifer Maia, where all three judges score the contest as 30-27 in Chookagian’s favor.
The “Blonde Fighter” towers above her opponent by five inches and will also have a two-inch reach advantage. She also has a lot more experience at the professional level, with a total of 21 fights to her name.
Amanda Ribas is stepping up to the flyweight division for the second time in her UFC career. She did so once before, in July 2020, where she bested Paige VanZant.
The Brazilian has only had one loss in the UFC since joining in 2019, and this came against Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257.
Ribas has a much higher finishing rate of 64% compared to Chookagian’s 18%. She is also five years younger and has a Judo background, which she may want to leverage to get a submission.
The bookmakers have set the lines pretty closely in this bout. While this is a huge step up in competition for the 28-year-old, she has shown she has what it takes to compete at this weight, and is therefore only a slight underdog.
| Katlyn Chookagian | vs | Amanda Ribas |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Age | 28 |
| 21 | Fights | 13 |
| 17 | Wins | 11 |
| 4 | Losses | 2 |
| 2 | KO’s | 3 |
| 1 | Subs | 4 |
| 5′ 8 | Height (feet) | 5′ 3 |
| 68 | Reach (inches) | 66 |
| 126.00 | Weight (lbs) | 115.50 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Frank Camacho vs. Manuel Torres – UFC Fight Odds
This lightweight bout will feature the veteran Camacho who is looking to return to the Octagon in style with a win against the star of Dana White’s Contender Series, Torres.
Frank Camacho took two years away from competition after suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Justin Jaynes. Previous to this hiatus, Camacho won just one fight from five.
“The Crank” is a slight underdog to come out on top against the Mexican prodigy. The Marianan will need a win to prolong his UFC career, and he’s not entirely out of the running, sharing the same reach and height as his opponent.
If you watch Dana White’s Contender Series, you might have seen Manuel Torres knockout Kolton Englund in the first round. If not, you’re about to witness something special from this powerful lightweight known as “El Loco.”
The Mexican newcomer has finished all three of his most recent opponents in the first round. One of which was in just 25 seconds with a Guillotine in the UWC Mexico, so understandably, he is the favorite to beat Camacho.
| Frank Camacho | vs | Manuel Torres |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Age | 27 |
| 32 | Fights | 14 |
| 22 | Wins | 12 |
| 9 | Losses | 2 |
| 16 | KO’s | 5 |
| 3 | Subs | 6 |
| 5′ 10 | Height (feet) | 5′ 10 |
| 73 | Reach (inches) | 73.5 |
| 170.00 | Weight (lbs) | 145.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Win |
Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento – UFC Fight Odds
This bout was initially due to go ahead on March 19 at UFC London, but Hadley had to withdraw due to an injury. This flyweight matchup will now go ahead between the two newcomers.
Jake Hadley earned his UFC debut with a second-round rear-naked choke win against Mitch Raposo during last year’s Dana White’s Contender Series.
The Brit that made his way up through the Bellator and Cage Warriors ranks is undefeated as a professional. He has four submission wins and two knockouts from eight exceptional performances.
This fight will likely go to the ground, with both fighters proficient in jiu-jitsu. The odds are on the side of the 25-year-old, who many think has a bright future in the UFC.
This will be Allan Nascimento’s second UFC appearance after losing his initial fight against Tagir Ulanbekov. The Brazilian didn’t do enough to sway the judges during his debut and lost by a split decision.
Fans of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are not going to want to miss this bout. Nascimento is the training partner of lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who earned his title with some stunning submissions.
| Jake Hadley | vs | Allan Nascimento |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Age | 30 |
| 8 | Fights | 24 |
| 8 | Wins | 18 |
| 0 | Losses | 6 |
| 2 | KO’s | 1 |
| 4 | Subs | 14 |
| 5′ 7 | Height (feet) | 5′ 9 |
| 68 | Reach (inches) | 69.5 |
| 127.00 | Weight (lbs) | 126.00 |
| Win | Last Fight | Loss |
Preliminary Fights
- Viviane Araujo vs. Andrea Lee (women’s flyweight bout)
- Michael Johson vs. Alan Patrick (lightweight bout)
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Angela Hill (women’s strawweight bout)
- Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Candelario (flyweight bout)
- Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski (middleweight bout)
View the latest betting odds for all upcoming UFC fights.
Based in California, James William writes about golf, tennis, UFC and the (sometimes complicated) world of betting on sports. A big lover of live poker, James also takes care of casino reviews for Vegas-Odds.com.
