Rob Font is about to make his third straight main event appearance, but the bantamweight contender knows it could be his last for a while if he doesn’t pull off a win. No. 5-ranked Font faces No. 8-ranked Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Mera on Saturday, with the winner taking an inside track toward a title shot. Font has twice headlined and split those bouts, but is coming off a lopsided loss to former champion Jose Aldo. Font told the media this week that another top fight shows UFC bosses have confidence in him, but now he needs to justify it. Vera, who has won two in a row, will make his first appearance at the top of the card. The main card begins at 7 pm ET.
Font is a -130 favorite (risk $130 to win $100), while Vera returns at +110 in the latest odds for UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, the heavyweights take center stage as former champion Andrei Arlovski (-145) meets veteran Jake Collier (+125). Before making any choice for UFC Fight Night: Font vs. See, be sure to check out the MMA predictions and betting tips from SportsLine’s combat expert, Andrew Gombas.
Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who draws on his experience on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a way that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA MMA Knockout Bets handicap service in 2018 and has shown earnings every year since.
With over 1,400 picks tracked by third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. In the last two years, his followers have made a net profit of more than $10,000.
In January, Gombas kicked off the 2022 UFC season in memorable fashion by telling SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a battle of ranked featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated in a unanimous decision to give his supporters an easy winner. Anyone who has followed Gombas has already seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Font vs. See it in plain sight, Gombas has studied the card from every angle and has thrown out his best MMA picks. His picks are only available on SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night Preview: Font vs Vera
Font (19-5) is widely regarded as perhaps the best pure fighter in the division who is also known for his durability and toughness. The 34-year-old Massachusetts native began his tenure in the UFC with a 5-3 record, but rose through the ranks on the back of a four-fight win streak against higher-level competitors. He was believed to be next in line for a title shot before coming up short against former champion Jose Aldo in a UFC Fight Night main event last December.
Vera (18-7-1), 29, is an eight-year UFC veteran who is known for his strong fights and consistent pace to accompany world-class techniques across multiple disciplines. At UFC 268 last November, he earned a Performance of the Night bonus for knocking out former champion Frankie Edgar with a front kick. But Vera is perhaps best known for his ominous first-round knockout of undefeated and polarizing prospect Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 in August 2020.
In his last 10 outings, Vera’s only losses have come against Aldo and rising prospect Song Yadong, both by decisions, and he has earned performance bonuses in four of his last six fights. See who to back here.
UFC Fight Night Predictions
We’ll share one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night predictions here: He goes with Krzysztof Jotko (-165) to get the best of Gerald Meerschaert (+145) in a battle of middleweight veterans that will kick off the main card.
Meerschaert (34-14) is a six-year veteran and grappling specialist who has faced some of the biggest names in the division. The 34-year-old Wisconsin native tends to have trouble with world-class strikers and has been stopped four times in his UFC career. But he has won three fights in a row and is coming off a third-round submission to Dustin Stoltzfus in December.
Jotko (23-5) is a complete fighter who has won four of his last five, but he tends to find himself in close fights, as two of those wins have come by split decision. The 32-year-old Polish boxer’s only loss in that span came to emerging contender Sean Strickland last May.
“I think Jotko should be able to keep this up and win easily. Even on the ground, Meerschaert is willing to give up position to look for a submission,” Gombas told SportsLine. “Jotko is a competent fighter and will be difficult to control or submit. I think he should be a heavy favorite.”
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Gombas also has good picks for Font vs. Vera and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He also backs a fighter who “has the volume advantage and is the cleanest fighter” for a dominant victory. Those expert UFC picks and predictions are only available on SportsLine.
Who wins Source vs. Vera? And what other selections do you need to make? Visit SportsLine now for the best detailed picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the expert who made over $10,000 in MMA picks in the last two years, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Odds Vera, billboard
Rob Font (-130) vs. Marlon Vera (+110)
Andrei Arlovski (-150) vs. Jake Collier (+125)
Andre Fili (-240) vs. Joanderson Brito (+200)
Jared Gordon (+155) vs. Grant Dawson (-180)
Darren Elkins (-175) vs. Tristan Connelly (+150)
Krzysztof Jotko (-170) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+145)
Alexander Romanov (-2000) vs. Chase Sherman (+1000)
Daniel Lacerda (-125) vs. Francisco Figueiredo (+105)
Gabe Green (-135) vs. Yohan Lainesse (+115)
Nathan Levy (-200) vs. Mike Breeden (+170)
Gina Mazany (-175) vs. Shanna Young (+150)
Tatsuro Taira (-240) vs. Carlos Candelario (+200)