The Octagon returns to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday for UFC Vegas 85: Dolidze vs. Imavov. The card features 13 fights total, including a five-round middleweight main event between contenders Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov. 

In our Bookies.com Best Bets this week, we will give you our picks for the headliner and two undercard bouts.

Odds via DraftKings sportsbook and current as of publication. Check out our DraftKings sportsbook review.

UFC Vegas 85 Main Event Best Bet

Nassourdine Imavov (-166) vs. Roman Dolidze (+140)

The headliner of UFC Vegas 85 is a five-round middleweight bout between Nassourdine Imavov and Roman Dolidze. Imavov is a -166 favorite, and I like him to win in this main event.

Imavov is 28 and is 4-2, 1 NC overall in the Octagon. The Frenchman joined the UFC four years ago and he quickly took the middleweight division by storm as he was 4-1 in his first five UFC bouts. However, he has hit a bit of a hiccup lately, going 0-1, 1 NC in his last two fights. 

Looking closer, though, one of those losses was against former champion Sean Strickland and the other was a No Contest with Chris Curtis that Imavov was winning before the stoppage. He is a very good fighter who is an excellent striker, he has some grappling skills as well, and his cardio is solid, too. Should he come in here and beat Dolidze, he’ll get right back on track.

Dolidze is 35 and he has a 6-2 UFC record with four wins coming by knockout. The Georgian is a true bruiser who sports ridiculous knockout power in all eight of his limbs. On top of that, he has a very dangerous ground game and he can finish his rivals on the mat. 

The one knock on Dolidze is that he is rather low-volume and he is not proven in five-round fights. He is certainly an exciting fighter who could be a contender at 185 lbs., but he still has some more to prove. 

If he wants to be a champion, then he will have to win this fight and prove that he can go a hard five rounds. But until that happens, the jury will be out on Dolidze, who is certainly dangerous.

Dolidze is an excellent fighter with finishing ability on the feet and the ground, but given this is a five-round fight, I believe that favors Imavov seeing as how Dolidze has never gone the full five rounds before. Look for Dolidze to have a quick start in this one, but as the fight goes on, I see Imavov wearing Dolidze down and winning the fight down the stretch. 

Go with Imavov to win this fight as a -166 betting favorite and take him to win this fight on the scorecards.

UFC Vegas 85 Best Bet: Nassourdine Imavov wins at -166 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC Vegas 85 Best Prop Bet: Nassourdine Imavov wins by decision with DraftKings Sportsbook

Other UFC Vegas 85 Best Bets

Renato Moicano (-155) vs. Drew Dober (+130)

The co-main event of UFC Vegas 85 is a lightweight bout between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober. Moicano is a -155 betting favorite, and I like him to get his hand raised.

Moicano is 34 and has a 9-5 record in the Octagon. The Brazilian has won six of those fights by submission, with all of those subs being of the rear-naked choke variety. That shows how dangerous he is on the ground, and his standup is solid as well. 

Historically, Moicano’s chin has not been the best, as he’s lost three fights by knockout in the Octagon. But in the fights where he doesn’t get knocked out, more often than not he’s taking his rival down and tapping him out.

Dober is 35 and he sports a 13-8, 1 NC record in the Octagon. The American is one of the most brutal knockout artists in the UFC lightweight divisions as he’s won nine fights by knockout in the UFC, and he’s only been finished by strikes once, showing how strong his chin is. 

But while Dober’s striking is strong, his ground game is his weakness. He’s lost four times by submission in the Octagon, so if Moicano fights smart here, he’ll be taking Dober down and tapping him out.

Although Dober is a big-time puncher with legitimate KO power, Moicano matches up well with him because of his elite submission skills, which is Dober’s weakness. In this fight, I like Moicano to get Dober to the mat and score a submission win. Give me Moicano at -155 odds, and take him to win this fight by submission for a prop bet.

UFC Vegas 85 Best Bet: Renato Moicano wins at -155 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC Vegas 85 Best Prop Bet: Renato Moicano wins by submission with DraftKings Sportsbook

Natalia Silva (-345) vs. Viviane Araujo (+275)

Also on the main card is a women’s flyweight bout between Natalia Silva and Viviane Araujo. Silva is a -345 favorite, and I like her to win this fight.

Silva turns 27 on Saturday and the Brazilian is a perfect 4-0 so far since joining the UFC two years ago. She has looked phenomenal so far inside the Octagon, exhibiting incredible striking skills on the feet along with a solid ground game to boot. 

Slowly moving her way up the 125 lbs. pecking order, she now takes on a top-10 opponent in Araujo. With a win over her Brazilian opponent here, Silva could be just one or two wins away from a title shot.

Araujo is 37 and she has a 6-4 record in the UFC with all but one of her fights going the distance. Araujo is a solid fighter in all aspects of the game, as she has decent standup skills and a passable ground game. That being said, she does not excel in any area of the game, and she doesn’t have any finishing ability, either. She is more-or-less a gatekeeper in the women’s flyweight division, and on paper, this looks like a set-up fight to get Silva her biggest career win.

I like Silva to be the faster fighter in this matchup and light up Araujo on the feet with her strikes to score points. I also think she could score a takedown here or there. At -345, Silva is a heavy favorite, but I like her to win this fight, and I favor her to win this fight on the scorecards as well.

UFC Vegas 85 Best Bet: Natalia Silva wins at -345 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC Vegas 85 Best Prop Bet: Natalia Silva wins by decision with DraftKings Sportsbook