The Octagon travels to Bridgestone Arena this Saturday for UFC Nashville: Sandhagen vs. Font. The card features 11 fights in total, including a five-round catchweight (140 lbs) main event between top-10 contenders Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font. 

We’ll break down that fight plus two of the undercard bouts in this week’s edition of the Bookies.com  UFC picks for UFC Nashville.

UFC Nashville Main Event Best Bet

Cory Sandhagen (-275) vs. Rob Font (+230)

In the headliner, we have Cory Sandhagen fighting Rob Font in a catchweight bout at 140 lbs. Sandhagen is a -275 betting apps favorite, and I like him to get his hand raised.

Sandhagen is 31 and he joined the UFC back in 2018, going 9-3 overall during that stretch. Sanghaden is one of the best fighters in the UFC bantamweight division who has been in there with most of the top opposition in the weight class. 

He has shown he is one of the best strikers in the weight class but he’s also shown improvements with his grappling, making him a deadly fighter and an emerging title contender. We know that Sandhagen can fight five hard rounds and we know he has what it takes to go strong for 25 minutes. Against Font, Sandhagen should be expecting a war. It should be a great fight, and a win here could land Sandhagen a title shot.

Font is 36 and he first joined the UFC back in 2015, going 10-5 overall since then. Font is one of the best boxers in his weight class and he has huge power, having won six fights by knockout in the Octagon. He is always dangerous, however, he is also quite hittable in his fights which gives his opponents the chance to inflict damage on him. 

As far as his grappling goes, it’s improving but it’s not his strong point. That would be his striking, and you can expect him to stand and trade with Sandhagen in this bout. It should be a fun one to watch, regardless of who wins it.

Sandhagen and Font are two of the best bantamweights in the world, and I expect a competitive fight here, but I still think “The Sandman” gets his hand raised. Look for Sandhagen to vary his striking attacks with his punches and kicks and also mix in some grappling attacks to get his hand raised at the end of 25 minutes. Take Sandhagen at -275 and take him to win by decision.

UFC Nashville Best Bet: Cory Sandhagen wins at -275 at DraftKings Sportsbook  

UFC Nashville Best Prop Bet: Cory Sandhagen wins by decision at DraftKings Sportsbook  

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Other UFC Nashville Best Bets

Tatiana Suarez (-435) vs. Jessica Andrade (+350)

In the co-main event, Tatiana Suarez takes on Jessica Andrade at women’s strawweight. Suarez is a -435 favorite, and I believe she will win this fight with flying colors.

Suarez is 32 and she has been in the UFC since 2016, going 6-0 since then with four finishes. A former “Ultimate Fighter” winner, Suarez has always been pegged as a future title contender. However, injuries have led to her having only six fights in over seven years with the promotion. 

That being said, when she is healthy and active, she is one of the most dangerous women on the UFC roster. Suarez has incredible wrestling skills, great submissions, and deadly ground-and-pound. In her last fight, Suarez returned after a four-year layoff and moved up to flyweight where she submitted Montana De La Rosa in a flawless performance. 

Moving back down to strawweight now, I expect Suarez to continue her dominance and fight for the belt soon.

Of course, Andrade is going to try and stop that from happening. The former UFC women’s strawweight champion, Andrade is 31 years old and she has been in the UFC since 2013, holding a 15-9 record overall in the promotion. 

When she’s at her best, Andrade is an incredibly dangerous fighter who has massive knockout power in her hands and also deadly chokes on the ground. However, she enters this bout having lost two straight fights where she was finished. As good of a career as Andrade has had, it does appear that she is finally slowing down, and Suarez could be catching her just at the right time as she looks for a title shot.

Moving back down to 115 lbs, I expect Suarez to dominate the division and get a title shot in her next bout after she beats Andrade. I expect Suarez to be able to take Andrade down at will in this fight and finish her with a submission. Take Suarez as a parlay piece at -435 odds, and go with her to win this fight by submission for a prop.

UFC Nashville Best Bet: Tatiana Suarez wins at -435 at DraftKings Sportsbook  

UFC Nashville Best Prop Bet: Tatiana Suarez wins by submission at DraftKings Sportsbook  

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Ignacio Bahamondes (-200) vs. Ludovit Klein (+270)

Kicking off the main card, Ignacio Bahamondes fights Ludovit Klein at lightweight. Bahamondes is a -200 betting favorite, and I favor him to get his hand raised in this fight.

Bahamondes is only 25 years old and he is 3-1 overall in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2021, with three straight wins. The Chilean fighter is extremely well rounded with a high-volume striking attack on the feet to go along with some slick grappling chops on the ground. 

Standing at 6’3” and blessed with a 75” reach, he is one of the biggest, tallest, and longest lightweights on the roster. He is still super young and he continues to improve every time he steps in the cage, and a win over Klein in this bout should earn Bahamondes a ranked opponent in his next bout.

Klein is 28 years old and the Slovakian is 3-2-1 in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2020. He is a high-level striker who is called “Mr. Highlight” for his crazy knockout power, as we’ve seen him land several insane knockout kicks during his UFC career. 

His grappling is the weak part of his game, as we’ve seen him get submitted in the UFC, but he’s improving that aspect of the game. Against Bahamondes, he’s going to have to be the better striker to win. But given his eight-inch height disadvantage and three-inch reach disadvantage, it’s a tough matchup for him.

I think Bahamondes is one of the best young, up-and-coming fighters at 155 lbs and I believe he will defeat Klein in this fight. I think he’s better everywhere, and I believe he will mix up his striking and grappling in order to walk away with a decision victory. Go with Bahamondes as a -200 betting favorite to win, and take him to get the decision if you want to bet on a prop.

UFC Nashville Best Bet: Ignacio Bahamondes wins at -200 at DraftKings Sportsbook  

UFC Nashville Best Prop Bet: Ignacio Bahamondes wins by decision at DraftKings Sportsbook