UFC Vegas 96: Cannonier vs. Borralho Preliminary Card Odds & Best Bets

These UFC Vegas 96: Cannonier vs. Borralho prelim predictions are brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options from UFC odds to wrestling and everything in between.

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We’re back at the Apex this weekend for UFC Vegas 96: Cannonier vs. Borralho. After looking at my three favorite main card bets earlier this week, it’s time that we show the upcoming preliminary card some love too.

With that being said, let’s dive into the latest odds and best bets for Saturday night’s prelim fights as we aim to do better than last week.

UFC 305 prelim predictions: 3-4-0

UFC 305 prelim best bets: 1-6-0

UFC Vegas 96 Preliminary Card Odds & Predictions

UFC Vegas 96: Cannonier vs Borralho odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:28 a.m. ET.

Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall Odds  — Lightweight

• Record: Dennis Buzukja (12-4) vs. Francis Marshall (7-2)
• Moneyline: Dennis Buzukja (+120) | Francis Marshall (-140)
• Round total: 2.5 — Over (-210) | Under (+170)
• Last 10 fights: Buzukja — 8-2 | Leonardo — 7-2

While Francis Marshall is the favorite in this UFC prelim bout, the 25-year-old American most recently fell to Isaac Dulgarian via first-round TKO one year ago. He’s now going up against Dennis Buzukja, who bounced back from an 0-2 start to his run with a knockout win over Connor Matthews five months ago.

Despite the odds against him, I’m taking Buzukja to win tomorrow. He’s the better striker of the two and his 72% takedown defense should help stave off any of Marshall’s grappling attempts. This fight could very well come down to the wire, however, Buzukja has what it takes to pull off the upset.

Buzukja vs. Marshall prediction: Dennis Buzukja

Best Buzukja vs. Marshall bet: Buzukja ML (+120)

Zachary Reese vs. Jose Medina Odds  — Middleweight

• Record: Zachary Reese (7-1) vs. Jose Medina (11-3)
• Moneyline: Zachary Reese (-645) | Jose Medina (+470)
• Round total: 1.5 — Over (+135) | Under (-165)
• Last 10 fights: Reese — 7-1 | Medina — 7-3

Zachary Reese is the heavy favorite in this middleweight matchup and it isn’t difficult to see why. Each of the Shiner, TX native’s first seven victories came by some form of first-round finish, including when he TKO’d Julian Marquez in 20 seconds back in June. While Jose Medina has established a solid MMA career, he proved that he might not be ready for the UFC with a unanimous decision loss to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov on Dana White’s Contender Series 2023.

Based on how this fight is shaping up, let’s not overthink things. Back Reese to win in Round 1 before moving on to the next fight.

Reese vs. Medina prediction: Zachary Reese

Best Reese vs. Medina bet: Reese in Round 1 (+110)

Get 50% up to $1,000 on Cannonier vs. Borralho prelim picks at BetOnline

Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop Odds  — Lightweight

• Record: Viacheslav Borshchev (7-4-1) vs. James Llontop (14-3)
• Moneyline: Viacheslav Borshchev (-230) | James Llontop (+195)
• Round total: 1.5 — Over (-200) | Under (+160)
• Last 10 fights: Borshchev — 5-4-1 | Llontop — 9-1

It’s hard to truly be excited about this lightweight tilt. Viacheslav Borshchev — despite being the favorite — is only 1-3-1 in his last five fights and just submitted to Chase Cooper three months ago. And while James Llontop could still have a bright future ahead of him, his shine wore off a bit with a first-round submission loss to Chris Padilla in his UFC debut.

I’m not a huge fan of either fighter, which is why I predict that this fight won’t go the distance. Borschev owns an 85.7% finish rate while five of Llontop’s last seven fights failed to reach the distance. I just can’t imagine both lightweights surviving all three rounds in Sin City.

Borshchev vs. Llontop prediction: Viacheslav Borshchev

Best Borshchev vs. Llontop bet: Fight Won’t Go the Distance (-150)

Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Josiane Nunes Odds  — Women’s Bantamweight

• Record: Jacqueline Cavalcanti (6-1) vs. Josiane Nunes (14-3)
• Moneyline: Jacqueline Cavalcanti (-220) | Josiane Nunes (+185)
• Round total: 2.5 — Over (-260) | Under (+200)
• Last 10 fights: Cavalcanti — 6-1 | Nunes — 9-1

Jacqueline Cavalcanti heads into UFC Vegas 96 on a four-fight winning streak, having most recently defeated Zarah Fairn via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 226. She’ll face a stiffer test in the form of Josiane Nunes, who’s looking to bounce back after suffering a UD loss to Chelsea Chandler in her bantamweight return.

With the better striking output and overall defense, I see Cavalcanti standing tall on Saturday night. Having said that, Nunes has avoided being finished throughout her 11-year MMA career, meaning it’s more likely that the favorite wins via points this time around.

Cavalcanti vs. Nunes prediction: Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Best Cavalcanti vs. Nunes bet: Cavalcanti via points (-120)

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Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher Odds  — Featherweight

• Record: Zygimantas Ramaska (9-2) vs. Nathan Fletcher (8-1)
• Moneyline: Zygimantas Ramaska (+135) | Nathan Fletcher (-155)
• Round total: 1.5 — Over (+100) | Under (-130)
• Last 10 fights: Ramaska — 8-2 | Fletcher — 8-1

Featherweights Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher will make their debut on Saturday. Ramaska is currently on a three-fight win streak with a trio of knockout victories while Fletcher has finished seven of his first nine opponents with four wins occurring in Round 1.

I haven’t seen much of either fighter, so I’m taking the fight to last under 1.5 rounds. After all, eight of Ramaska’s last 10 fights finished with the Under while three of Fletcher’s last seven did the same — including his most recent outing.

Ramaska vs. Fletcher prediction: Nathan Fletcher

Best Ramaska vs. Fletcher bet: u1.5 Total Rounds (-130)

Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonardo Odds  — Women’s Flyweight

• Record: Wang Cong (5-0) vs. Victoria Leonardo (9-5)
• Moneyline: Wang Cong (-1200) | Victoria Leonardo (+800)
• Round total: 1.5 — Over (-210) | Under (+170)
• Last 10 fights: Wang — 5-0 | Leonardo — 6-4

The undefeated Wang Cong looks to keep her perfect record intact after submitting Paula Luna earlier this year. Victoria Leonardo might have more experience, but she’s also 1-3 in her last four fights following a first-round TKO loss to Natalia Silva over 15 months ago.

Between Leonardo’s recent losses and year-long layoff, it’s a no-brainer to back Wang via KO/TKO. The 32-year-old newcomer is a former kickboxing world champion, after all, while each of Leonardo’s last three losses came by a knockout.

Wang vs. Leonardo prediction: Wang Cong

Best Wang vs. Leonardo bet: Wang via KO/TKO (-115)

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UFC Vegas 96: Cannonier vs Borralho Information & FAQ

When is UFC Vegas 96?

• UFC Vegas 96 will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024.

Where is UFC Vegas 96?

• UFC on ESPN 62  airs live from the Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

What time does UFC Vegas 96 start?

• UFC Vegas 96 Preliminary Card Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
• UFC Vegas 96 Main Card Start Time: 10 p.m. ET

How to Watch UFC Vegas 96

• UFC Vegas 96 Preliminary Card Channel: ESPN
• UFC Vegas 96 Main Card Channel: ESPN+, ESPN

How to Bet on UFC Vegas 96

• All of the top online sports betting sites will have UFC prelim odds, but here are some of the sites we recommend most for UFC betting enthusiasts: