UFC Fight Night 53 and 54 Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

UFC Fight Night 53 and 54 hit Saturday for a full day of MMA action.

The early card is capped off by a welterweight tilt between rising star Gunnar Nelson and longtime UFC veteran Rick Story. The evening is also headlined by a welterweight clash when Rory MacDonald meets Tarec Saffiedine in a bout with potential title implications.

Between the two cards there is good enough reason to plop down on your sofa and not get up again. The cards will not blow you away with ranked fighters but will give you a lot of fun.

We will take a look at five of the better fights but still give you odds and plays for all 10 main card battles. The odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.com. We will try to help you make better-informed decisions before playing this weekend's fight cards.

Let's take a deeper look at the UFC's latest offerings.

Other Main Card Fights

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UFC Fight Night 53

Niklas Backstrom (8-0, 1 NC; -750) vs. Mike Wilkinson (8-1; +525)

Backstrom is coming off a nice win over Tom Niinimaki. This fight will test Wilkinson, but ultimately Backstrom takes the victory. He's the better fighter and has more momentum.

Prediction: Backstrom

The Play: No value

UFC Fight Night 54

Mitch Gagnon (11-2; -600) vs. Roman Salazar (9-2; +400)

Gagnon has looked like a quality fighter at times, including in his last bout against Tim Gorman. This fight is set up for him to look good in front of a friendly crowd. Gagnon rolls in the opening bout.

Prediction: Gagnon

The Play: No play

Nordine Taleb (9-2; -400) vs. Li Jingliang (9-2; +280)

Taleb vs. Jinglang is going to be a bad fight. It will be sloppy and leave you wondering what “UFC caliber” truly means in 2014. It's filler.

Prediction: Jingliang

The Play: A small flier on the underdog

Elias Theodorou (9-0; -400) vs. Bruno Santos (14-1; +280)

Theodorou is coming off winning The Ultimate Fighter: Nations. He looked fairly good on the show. Santos is coming off a split decision win over Chris Camozzi. This fight is an underrated one on Saturday and could go either way. I like Theodorou to edge it out.

Prediction: Theodorou

The Play: Skip the fight

Chad Laprise (8-0; -280) vs. Yosdenis Cedeno (10-3; +200)

Laprise is also coming off a TUF: Nations championship. Cedeno is 1-1 in the UFC with neither performance leaving a lasting image. Laprise should look good here.

Prediction: Laprise

The Play: Decent value on Laprise

Ilir Latifi (-250) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+210)

UFC.com

Latifi is a tank.

Blachowicz will be making his UFC debut on Saturday and coming off a year-plus layoff. He has defeated four straight UFC veterans on the regional circuits.

With that said, Latifi is the clear favorite in this fight. He is an excellent fighter to have on these Fight Pass cards and will bring the heat once again. Latifi should pick up another win in this encounter.

Due to Blachowicz's wins outside of the UFC, he isn't a huge underdog in this fight. He might be able to score the upset, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Prediction: Latifi

The Play: I like a moderate play on Latifi

Akira Corassani (+500) vs. Max Holloway (-700)

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Corassani picked up three straight wins before running into Dustin Poirier earlier this year, and Holloway is currently riding a three-fight streak of his own into this fight.

Corassani is a tough out, but Holloway should be able to control this fight.

Holloway is a talented fighter who loves to scrap. Corassani will oblige. The issue for Corassani will be Holloway's length and how the Hawaiian mixes it up. Holloway will touch up Corassani repeatedly over the course of the fight.

Don't be surprised if Holloway can get the finish.

Prediction: Holloway

The Play: Tempting odds on Corassani should be ignored; no play

Gunnar Nelson (-340) vs. Rick Story (+280)

UFC.com

The main event of UFC Fight Night 53 is an underrated bout in the welterweight division. Story got back on the winning track in his previous fight and takes on one of the hottest prospects in the UFC.

Nelson has slowly made his way up the ladder in the UFC, and a win over Story would put him in the upper echelon of the division.

Story will need to be careful in the grappling exchanges and keep his defense tight on the feet. Nelson has to be wary of the power in Story's hands. This is a compelling fight.

In a 25-minute fight, I give the edge to Nelson. He will eventually catch Story slipping.

Prediction: Nelson

The Play: A small play on Story

Raphael Assuncao (-280) vs. Bryan Caraway (+200)

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Assuncao was on the brink of getting a title shot, but T.J. Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao and put Barao into an immediate rematch situation. Barao then dropped out on the day before the fight. Now, Dominick Cruz, the former champion, returned from injury and looked outstanding.

Assuncao is on the outside looking in again. He'll have something to prove against Caraway.

Caraway has improved greatly, but this is a poor matchup for him. Assuncao, on paper, has this fight locked up.

The odds look good on Assuncao heading into the fight against Caraway. Take advantage.

Prediction: Assuncao

The Play: All-in on Assuncao

Rory MacDonald (-525) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (+415)

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The final fight of the day is the one everyone will be anticipating the most. It features two contenders in the welterweight division who are very well-rounded.

Saffiedine has surprised many fans but has failed to make the big impression. This fight gives him that platform.

He just won't be able to get it done. MacDonald will stifle his offense and look the part as the next contender in the welterweight division. He was supposed to be Georges St-Pierre's heir apparent. He will look like it on Saturday.

MacDonald puts an exclamation point on this victory with a violent stoppage.

Prediction: MacDonald

The Play: Take a shot on Saffiedine at those odds