UFC Fight Night 224: Holm vs. Bueno Silva Odds, Schedule, Predictions
Holly Holm welcomes Mayra Bueno Silva to the main event scene at UFC Fight Night 224 from the UFC's Apex Facility on Saturday night.
Holm has been a household name in MMA since she head kicked Ronda Rousey into oblivion back in 2015. However, it's been a long and winding journey to try and re-capture the magic of that moment or another championship.
The 41-year-old has climbed the mountain to a title shot three times since losing her belt to Miesha Tate in the follow-up to the Rousey fight.
This was supposed to be a rematch of that fight. However, Tate withdrew from the fight and Bueno Silva was given the opportunity.
Time is running out for her to get back into the title picture one more time. However, she has won three out of her last four fights and has an opportunity here to make a statement against Bueno Silva who has been making some noise herself.
Here's a look at the complete Vegas card and a closer look at the main event and other featured bouts.
Fight Card, Schedule and Odds
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Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET)
Holly Holm (-165) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (+140)
Jack Della Maddalena (-600) vs. Bassil Hafez (+430)
Ottman Azaitar (-105) vs. Francisco Prado (-115)
Albert Duraev (+130) vs. Jun Yong Park (-150)
Norma Dumont (-135) vs. Chelsea Chandler (+115)
Nazim Sadykhov (-140) vs. Terrance McKinney (+120)
Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)
Tucker Lutz (+130) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (-150)
Viktoriya Dudakova (-135) vs. Istela Nunes (+170)
Austin Lingo (+200) vs. Melquizael Costa (-240)
Evan Elder (-300) vs. Genaro Valdez (+250)
Tyson Nam (+350) vs. Azat Maksum (-475)
Alex Munoz (-215) vs. Carl Deaton (+185)
Ashlee Evans-Smith (+190) vs. Ailin Perez (-225)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Holm vs. Bueno Silva
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Time might be running out on Holm but there's never been more hope for all women gunning for the bantamweight championship. With Amanda Nunes retiring there's a whole new opportunity.
Holm already lost to Nunes convincingly, but with The Lioness out of the picture, it's more feasible for her to get a shot.
That means she's going to have to make an impression here, though. Bueno Silva is undoubtedly trying to do the same thing, using Holm's name to bolster her resume.
In order to do that she's going to have to get Holm on the ground. That's a notoriously frustrating strategy against Holm. The former boxer does a great job of managing distance and has the takedown defense to go with it.
Bueno Silva has done most of her damage with submissions recently. She has back-to-back wins by tap, but Holm hasn't been submitted since her loss to Tate over six years ago.
This one is probably headed toward another proficient kickboxing win for Holm. With the added pressure of chasing a title shot she might be a little more likely to open up the arsenal and go for a late-round finish.
Prediction: Holm via fifth-round TKO
Della Maddalena vs. Hafez
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Jack Della Maddalena's presence on the card might be the most exciting feature. The 26-year-old was supposed to fight on the UFC 290 card, but he had two opponents follow through within a week of the fight.
So now we get to see the rising welterweight welcome Bassil Hafez to the UFC.
Hafez has an 8-3 record and has mostly fought on the regional scene at this point. He's coming off a knockout win over Evan Cutts in the Fury FC promotion, but he'll face a massive step up in competition with Della Maddalena.
As the odds would indicate, there's little reason to believe the Australian isn't going to get the job done. The UFC likely has bigger plans for him. He's an exciting fighter whose first four fights in the organization have been first-round finishes.
This feels like a fight that has been made for him to get his fifth first-round finish in a row before getting booked for a more serious fight.
Azaitar vs. Prado
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It's always interesting to see how a fighter rebounds from their first loss. For some, it ends up being a blip on the radar. For others, it's the beginning of the end or at least becomes the definition of their ceiling.
We're about to get a hint as to what it will mean for Ottman Azaitar. He'll be making his first appearance since getting his first L from Matt Frevola. He went from undefeated to flattened by the Steamrolla in two minutes and 30 seconds.
It's the kind of loss that can have quite the impact on his confidence. But he has had some time off and will be squaring off against a relative unknown in Francisco Prado. The 21-year-old has just one UFC fight and he lost a decision to Jamie Mullarkey.
As long as Azaitar is something similar to what he was before the loss to Frevola, he should be able to handle Prado. There wasn't much the young fighter showed against Mullarkey that makes you worry for Azaitar.
Prediction: Azaitar via decision
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