UFC Fight Night 224: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

Last week’s event was one of the best we’ve seen in a while. UFC 290 had everything with trash talk, great finishes, and historic moments. This week’s card doesn’t bring nearly the same amount of hype, but it should still satisfy MMA fans coming down off the high of last weekend. In the main event Holly Holm is the moneyline favorite over Mayra Bueno Silva on most betting sites and betting apps.

UFC Fight Night 224: Holm vs. Bueno Silva Main Event Odds - July 15th

It’s going to be a very big night for the women’s bantamweight division. In the main event, No. 3 contender and UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm will take on No. 10 Mayra Bueno Silva in what could very well be a title eliminator. No. 13 Norma Dumont and No. 15 Chelsea Chandler will also scrap it out in the third fight of the main card. In the co-main event, UFC fans will get a matchup of red hot middleweights looking to break down the door to the top 15. All odds provided by Betway.

Since losing to the GOAT, Amanda Nunes, in a championship fight in her return to bantamweight in 2019, Holm has gone 3-1, all of which have ended in decision. Her sole loss came against Ketlen Vieira in 2022, but even that was a pretty tight split decision defeat. At 41, Holm seems to have rediscovered a bit of what made her a champion all those years ago.

Holm will test her 15-6 pro MMA record against Mayra Bueno Silva’s 10-2-1 mark in the main event on Saturday night. Bueno Silva has been a menace in the octagon lately, winning a Fight of the Night decision in April of 2022, earning a first round armbar finish in August, and sinking in a kneebar finish in her most recent fight in February.

Seven of the Brazilian’s 10 wins have come via submission, so she’s clearly very dangerous on the mat. Holm is a veteran though, and among active bantamweights, she has one the lowest bottom position percentages. The only question is if Holm can create an advantage for herself on the feet.

While she is a grappling assassin, Sheetara also has an intriguing and unorthodox striking game where she leans on savage kicks and sweeping angles with her fists to discombobulate opponents. Bueno Silva is also 10 years younger than Holm and in a five-round fight, that’s no small thing. While Holm has looked like she’s having something of a resurgence, all the value lies with Bueno Silva here at +130. 

Park Jun-yong vs. Albert Duraev Middleweight Bout Betting Odds

Park Jun-yong, a 32-year-old South Korean veteran of eight UFC fights, will look to make it seven wins in his last eight outings against 34-year-old Albert Duraev. Jun-yong has a 16-5 pro record overall, very similar to Duraev’s 16-4 mark. However, Duraev just entered the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and has fought just three UFC opponents, going 2-1. The South Korean, meanwhile, has gone 6-2 since joining MMA’s elite promotion.

With a possible spot in the middleweight top 15 rankings on the line, both fighters will be very keen on getting a win at the UFC Apex. Jun-yong would seem to have the experience advantage, and he’s also the more accurate striker, so the value is there for him to win on points at +180. The fact that Jun-yong hasn’t gotten a knockout since 2018 paired with the fact that Duraev has never been submitted also makes the fight to go the distance market at -139 look pretty darn good.

Norma Dumont vs. Chelsea Chandler Women’s Bantamweight Bout Betting Odds

In the third fight of the main card is another matchup of ranked fighters in the women’s bantamweight division. No. 13 Norma Dumont, who has a 9-2 record, will take on No. 15 Chelsea Chandler, who has gone 5-1 as a pro. Dumont has gone 5-2 in the UFC while Chandler has fought just once at this level.

That said, Chandler did knock her opponent out in the first round and is on a five fight win streak overall, so she’s very dangerous. Considering Chandler has finished three of her last five fights, the best value on the board for this one is with the newcomer to make another splash and get the finish at +275. They don’t often put a fighter in the top 15 after just one UFC fight, which means they think Chandler is the real deal.