The UFC is at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for UFC 332. The vacant women's flyweight title is up for grabs in the main event between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong. The co-main event is a ranked bantamweight matchup between Deiveson Figueiredo and Payton Talbott. The rest of the card is stacked with a mix of veterans and up-and-coming fighters looking to move up the rankings. The prelims begin at 4 p.m. EDT on Paramount+, and the main card starts at 8 p.m. EDT, live on CBS and Paramount+.
Watch big title fights on DAZN>>
UFC 332 Prelims Card Picks & Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Marvin Vettori (+120) vs. Ismail Naurdiev (-142)
The second fight of the night is in the middleweight division between Marvin Vettori and Ismail Naurdiev. This is a great matchup for Vettori to get back on track after four consecutive losses. He has lost via unanimous decision to Brunno Ferreira and Brendan Allen in three-round fights. He lost to Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in the same fashion in five-round fights.
Naurdiev is 25-8 as a professional, with a 4-3 record in the UFC. He beat Ryan Loder via first-round knockout in his last fight, but lost via unanimous decision to JunYong Park prior to that.
Vettori is a former title challenger and has been in the UFC since 2016. He has never been finished in his MMA career and is notorious for his toughness. Naurdiev is a power puncher looking to land a big right hand. I don't see that happening against Vettori.
Vettori is a technical striker who utilizes pressure to make fights dirty. He is always pressing forward, which is a problem for Naurdiev. Naurdiev is good if he is pressuring, but he is hesitant off the back foot. The line is based on Vettori's recent bouts and offers a lot of value for a 33-year-old veteran. This is a big step up in competition for Naurdiev, and he should not be a slight favorite.
Imanol Rodriguez (-155) vs. Alden Coria (+130)
The featured prelim fight of the night is between two prospects, Imanol Rodriguez and Alden Coria. Coria is a training partner of Joshua Van and has started his UFC career with three consecutive victories. He beat Stewart Nicoll via unanimous decision in July, and Luis Gurule in the same fashion in February.
Rodriguez is one of the most exciting flyweight fighters who has entered the UFC. He got a first-round knockout on Dana White's Contender Series to earn a UFC contract and slept Kevin Borjas in the second round of his debut fight in February. He has never seen the scorecards in his seven-fight career, winning six by knockout and one via submission.
Coria has a four-inch height and three-inch reach advantage. He is a strong striker, but his last fight showed some flaws. Nicoll took him down five times, and Coria struggled with the pressure from Nicoll. Rodriguez is a well-rounded fighter, but has not shown his grappling ability in the UFC yet.
I expect Rodriguez to mix things up in this matchup, given the height difference. Rodriguez can land key takedowns and use pressure to get inside against Coria. Coria's takedown defense was put on display in his last fight and showed Rodriguez the game plan to beat him.
Bet: Imanol Rodriguez (-155)
