UFC Fight Night 252 Odds and Predictions

My MMA picks have been very solid for months now, but last week’s batch far exceeded the previous week. The UFC Fight Night 252 odds are now live at online sportsbooks, so you may want to see who I like to win this week before placing your bets.

My UFC FN 251 picks were straight flames, as I went 4-2 on the main card. I whiffed on the main event, but I did say that Jared Cannonier’s explosiveness and reach edge made him a fun KO bet.

Overall, my MMA betting picks were a stellar 8-4 and included a nice +180 underdog hitting.

There’s more elite MMA action coming our way, with Cejudo vs. Song headlining a fun UFC Fight Night 252 card. Check out the latest my UFC Picks for the upcoming UFC Fight Night event.

UFC Fight Night 252 Odds

Here are the latest odds for UFC FN 252 that you can find at most MMA betting sites. 

The UFC Fight Night 252 main card is reasonably priced. The headliner is a pretty nice matchup, even though Henry Cejudo may be aging out of his time in the UFC.

Still, there’s just one matchup priced over -300, so while this could be a tough card to call, it should also be one that offers a decent amount of value.

You can roll with all of my UFC Fight Night 252 betting picks, or you can check out our free handicapping trial to get a little extra help with his card, among other sports betting events.

Visit The Industry’s Best

Handicapping Membership
For More UFC Picks!

Get Free Trial

UFC Fight Night 252 Main Card Predictions

The UFC FN 252 main card fires off at 8:00 pm EST on ESPN+.

Yadong Song (-280) vs. Henry Cejudo (+240)

The biggest fight of the night is going to be an upset. I’m calling it now. I know Henry Cejudo (16-4) is now 38 years old and 0-2 in his last two fights, but he’s as tough as anyone, has great defense, and offers a nice balance of striking and wrestling ability.

Cejudo may very well be past his prime, but he just went the distance with the great Merab Dvalishvili. He definitely got gassed pretty quickly, but if Merab can’t finish him, what are the chances Yadong will?

Don’t get me wrong, Song (21-8-1) is a vicious fighter (9 KO wins), but he hasn’t exactly put together a laundry list of elite victories. Beating the likes of Ricky Simon and Marlon Moraes isn’t nothing, but I haven’t seen enough to be scared off of a pretty alluring upset pick.

Cejudo is either going to get dominated due to conditioning and age issues, or he’s going to remind everyone of who he is and that he’s still here. I am betting on him showing out.

Bet: Henry Cejudo (+240)

Anthony Hernandez (-280) vs. Brendan Allen (+240)

If you’re at all unsure of what to expect from Anthony Hernandez (13-2) at UFC FN 252, just watch his TKO win against Michael Pereira. His TKO victory was his sixth win in a row, and five of those Ws came via early stoppage.

The man has been an absolute menace, getting most of his opponents to the mat and forcing them to tap (8 submissions). He can win in a number of ways, and he hasn’t been taken down since getting dropped by Kevin Holland back in 2020.

Hernandez appears to be on a mission, and I expect him to take care of business when he takes on Brendan Allen (24-6). Allen has an elite canvas game himself (14 submissions), and he’s been in fantastic form as a winner in seven of his last eight bouts.

These two actually faced off before back at LFA 32 in 2018, with Hernandez getting the win. It went to a Decision, though, and even seven years later, it’s safe to say these guys are pretty evenly matched.

Neither fighter is an elite striker, and both will want this thing to go to the ground. I think that favors Hernandez, who is a little older, but lands more significant strikes per minute, is the more accurate striker overall, and is way more aggressive (and more accurate) with his takedowns.

I think the pricing is a bit skewed here. If you want to take a shot on a very good fighter in Brendan Allen, I wouldn’t knock you for shooting your shot. But Hernandez should edge him out.

Bet: Anthony Hernandez (-280)

Jean Silva (-560) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (+410)

You have your biggest favorite of the UFC Fight Night 252 main card when Jean Silva (14-2) prepares to wage war with Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-2).

Silva is five years younger, but he’s a little shorter and loses an inch in reach. I don’t think that matters, though, as he’s been running right through opponents lately. He’s 3-0 in the UFC so far, with each of his wins ending early. His last bout was a total demolition of Drew Dober, and he KO’d Charles Jourdain the fight before that.

We may have a UFC superstar on our hands, as this dude is a ferocious striker (11 KOs) who has not lost a fight since 2018 and he’s never been finished. I doubt that starts happening here, as Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-2) has not been super prolific under the UFC banner.

Melsik has been fine, as he’s font 3-1 in the UFC so far, but he lost via submission to Joshua Culibao and he has just one win by stoppage. He does have the striking ability to stay in this fight, but Silva handled Dober’s power like a champ, so I see no reason why he can’t do the same here as well.

Bet: Jean Silva (-560)

Alonzo Menifield (-209) vs. Julius Walker (+179)

I think we’ll be getting a few UFC upsets this weekend, and one of them could come from Julius Walker (6-0), who has yet to lose professionally and is making his UFC debut.

All of Walker’s six bouts have ended early, as he’s been rather dominant and flashed a versatile skill-set to this point. That could be bad news for Menifield, who is a dangerous finisher (10 KOs), but may be nearing the end at age 37.

Menifield has been finished himself in two straight losses, while he hasn’t ended a fight early with his fists since 2022. He’s still a dangerous fighter, but his skills are naturally in decline and he’s facing a promising youngster.

I’d rather bet on Walker at +179 than hope for Menifield to get back on track.

Bet: Julius Walker (+179)

Jean Matsumoto (-180) vs. Rob Font (+155)

The last bout on the UFC Fight Night 252 main card has Rob Font (21-8) as the slight underdog. He’s past his prime at age 37 at this point, but he’s obviously still an experienced and skilled fighter.

He holds a three-inch reach edge as he prepares to take on Jean Matsumoto (16-0), who is undefeated through two UFC bouts. He really hasn’t faced upper level competition yet, of course, so it’s tough to gauge how truly dominant he is.

Never losing has its perks, but Matusmoto has allowed seven fights to go the distance. He can still end fights early, though, and has six submissions to his name. These fighters grade out fairly evenly when it comes to striking and takedown offense, but I tend to side with the younger fighter who has yet to taste defeat.

Bet: Jean Matsumoto (-180)

UFC Fight Night 252 Preliminary Card Predictions

Catch the Prelims at 5:00 pm EST on ESPN+.

Andre Fili (-115) vs. Melquizael Costa (-105)

The UFC FN Prelims will feature a fun battle between Andre Fili (24-11) and Malquizael Costa (21-7). Both of these guys have a ton of experience and they’ve also eaten a lot of losses.

Fili enters as a mild favorite, as this one is basically priced as a toss-up. He is six years older, but he has an inch in height and also has a three-inch reach edge. Of the two, however, he grades out as the far weaker striker in terms of accuracy, and the two are dead even in takedown offense.

Despite having 10 career KO wins, Fili has just one knockout since 2020. He did bounce back from a loss to Dan Ige by besting Cub Swanson, but is just 3-3 over his last six fights.

Costa has been up and down lately, going just 2-2 over his last four fights. He got KO’d by Steve Garcia in December of 2023, but bounced back with a submission over Nuerdanbieke Shayilan last June.

The younger and more versatile fighter, Costa feels like the safer bet, but this one is incredibly tight.

Bet: Melquizael Costa (-105)

Ibo Aslan (-158) vs. Ion Cutelaba (+138)

Ion Cutelaba (18-10) is a mild underdog as he gets ready to battle Ibo Aslan (14-1). Cutebala is a very explosive fighter with lethal striking ability (13 KOs), but he’s also overly aggressive and takes on a lot of damage.

He’s been finished seven times in his 10 losses, although he’s managed to stay upright over his last two bouts. He packs a serious punch, but he may actually be trumped in that regard by Aslan, who has 8.34 significant strikes per minute so far in the UFC.

Aslan has just one loss to his name and he’s made quick work of everyone he’s faced so far inside the UFC. Given that he owns a two-inch height and two-inch reach edge, I expect him to stay hot in a matchup that favors him.

Bet: Ibo Aslan (-158)

Nursulton Ruziboev (-300) vs. Eric McConico (+250)

Few fighters have more experience than Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2), who comes into UFC FN 252 as a sizable favorite. He’s a little bit younger than his opponent, but will tower over him with a five-inch height difference.

Ruziboev can win in a number of ways, but the most important thing to remember is he is a deadly finisher. An insane 32 of his 34 wins have come early, as he’s scored 12 KOs and 20 submissions.

Despite his many matches, he’s only been finished twice and he also was able to survive a showdown with Joaquin Buckley in his last match. He’s just 2-1 inside the UFC, but given his track record, I’d imagine an early win is in the cards.

McConico has already proven vulnerable to knockouts (2 KO defeats), and while he’s on a tear coming in (five straight wins), this could be a dicey UFC debut.

Bet: Nursulton Ruziboev (-300)

Javid Basharat (-300) vs. Ricky Simon (+250)

Ricky Simon was at one point a fairly big name in the UFC, but the 32-year old has floundered since a 15-1 start. Simon is just 5-5 since then, while he’s been particularly weak during a three-fight skid.

Simon is three years older than his opponent, and will also be looking up at Javid Basharat (14-1), who is three inches taller. Basharat grades out as the superior striker in terms of impact and accuracy, while Simon sports better takedown offense.

The talent and experience is still there for Simon, but he’s exiting his prime and in weak form. Basharat is a versatile fighter who has done a solid job (3-1-1) inside the UFC so far, and should look to use Simon’s remaining name recognition to fuel his cause.

Bet: Javid Basharat (-300)

Mansur Abdual-Malik (-900) vs. Nick Klein (+600)

There is just one loss between these two fighters, as Mansur Abdual-Malik (7-0) hopes to stay perfect when he takes on Nick Klein (6-1). Abdual-Malik is a massive favorite, though, as he has a two-inch reach edge and is regarded as the much more dangerous striker.

He put that on display in his UFC debut, when he dominated Dusko Todorovic last November. That made him 7 for 7 in wins via stoppage for his career, and he’ll aim to go 8 for 8 this weekend.

It’s unlikely that Klein will provide much resistance, especially since Abdual-Malik doesn’t mind standing and throwing blows, but also is fantastic at taking the fight to the mat. 

Bet: Mansur Abdual-Malik (-900)

Modestas Bukauskas (-300) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (+250)

Lastly, we have a possibly fun bout featuring Modestas Bukauskas (16-6) and Rafael Cerqueira (11-1). I say possibly, as Modestas is a heavy favorite and sports a two-inch reach edge.

Bukauskas also grades out as the better striker (9 KOs) and he also has some solid submission ability. We saw that in his last fight, when he forced Marcin Prachnio to tap out. The form is good here, too, as Bukauskas is a stellar 5-1 over his last six fights.

Cerqueira is still live for the upset, as he has eight knockouts to his name and has lost just one time in his career. His UFC debut was miserable, though, as he looked overwhelmed in a 51 second TKO loss to Ibo Aslan.

There’s no shame in losing to Aslan – and that was his first defeat of his career – but it’s worth wondering if he’s ready for the big leap up in talent level.

Bet: Modestas Bukauskas (-300)

UFC Fight Night 252 Fight Card