UFC on ESPN: Blachowicz vs. Rakic Parlay

We saw one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history last week at UFC 274, and millions of fans will be tuning in to see what the highest level of MMA has in store this weekend. The headline fight will pit former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz against Aleksandar Rakic. This is the first fight for Blachowicz since he lost his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 last Halloween, and he is gunning to get his belt back.

UFC on ESPN: Blachowicz vs. Rakic will take place on Saturday, May 14, 2022, from UFC Apex outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The whole promotion will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 7:30 p.m. ET and the main event kicking off at 10 p.m. ET.

UFC on ESPN: Blachowicz vs. Rakic Picks

Jan Blachowicz +166 vs. Aleksandar Rakic

There isn’t enough respect being paid to the former light heavyweight title holder. Jan Blachowicz won five straight fights before losing to Teixeira last fall, including an impressive win over Israel Adesanya. The 39-year-old scored knockout victories in three of those fights, and it’s clear that rumors of demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Aleksandar Rakic has been impressive with a 6-1 record since joining the UFC. However, he has just one Performance of the Night bonus to his name, and this is a massive step up in competition. Rakic has yet to go five rounds in his career, and his best wins have been against a past his prime Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith. He shouldn’t be getting this much love from the oddsmakers.

Amanda Ribas and Katlyn Chookagian to Go the Distance -220

Don’t expect a finish when Katlyn Chookagian faces Amanda Ribas on Saturday. Chookagian is currently the No. 1 contender in the UFC Women’s Flyweight division, but the vast majority of her fights have gone the distance. Since she joined the UFC in July 2016, 12 of her 14 fights have been decided by the judges, and the two exceptions have been knockouts at the hands of Jessica Andrade and Valentina Shevchenko.

Amanda Ribas doesn’t have the power to finish Chookagian. Ribas is 5-1 since joining the UFC, and three of her wins have come by decision. She has yet to knock out an opponent in the UFC, and her submission victories over Emily Whitmire and Paige VanZant are nothing to write home over.

Ryan Spann +173 vs. Ion Cutelaba

We have seen Ion Cutelaba’s star fade over his last several fights. He is 2-3-1 in his last six fights, but he did pick up a win over Devin Clark his last time in the Octagon. Still, it’s hard to have much faith in him as a more than -200 favorite per the UFC betting odds this week.

Ryan Spann has been in better form recently, and he has some real advantages over Cutelaba. Spann is four inches taller and has a 6.5-inch reach advantage over Cutelaba, and he is a submission specialist. Cutelaba has struggled with his ground game, so Spann can win this fight by taking down his opponent.

Parlay Payout: $100 to win $956.26

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