Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze might be the primary draws at the latest UFC Vegas event this Saturday in Las Vegas, but bouts up and down the card reveal several interesting matchups. Some are more lopsided than others. Here is our look at the three biggest longshots to win this Saturday.
Biggest UFC Vegas 35 betting underdogs on Aug. 28
Micheal Gillmore
Making his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 35, The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 alternate Micheal Gillmore finds himself as one of the biggest betting underdogs on the card at +385.
In his first Octagon outing, the 34-year-old will face fellow TUF Season 29 cast member Andre Petroski, a hard-nosed wrestler who will also be making his UFC debut. Despite the similar amount of experience and shared first promotional foray of the two, Gillmore has the longer odds for Saturday.
Though he was eliminated from the competition after a second-round submission loss to finalist Bryan Battle, Petroski was viewed by many to be among the strongest fighters to emerge from the show. A 5-1 professional whose lone loss came at the hands of CFFC champion and two-time Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Aaron Jeffery. Petroski’s powerful wrestling is likely his best path to victory against Gillmore.
Gillmore lost his opening-round matchup to Gilbert Urbina by first-round submission in a fight he received following an injury to Miles Hunsinger. Coincidentally, Urbina finds himself in the TUF finale due to an injury to Tresean Gore.
Gerald Meerschaert
Make no mistake, Gerald Meerschaert is a talented fighter. A professional since 2007 and a member of the UFC roster since 2016, the former RFA champion is a savvy grappler with a penchant for snatching submissions. Of his seven UFC wins, six are submissions.
The Wisconsin native holds wins over Daniel Cormier protege Deron Winn, Trevin Giles, and Eric Spicely, among others, and has faced the likes of Kevin Holland, Khamzat Chimaev, Thiago Santos, and Jack Hermansson in what can only be described as a murderer’s row of middleweight opponents.
Despite his experience and grappling prowess, Meerschaert finds himself as a massive +450 betting underdog to Makhmud Muradov, the first mixed martial arts client promoted by Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team. The heavy-handed Muradov, 31, signed with the UFC in 2019 and enters on a 13-fight winning streak, including a bevy of highlights with regional European promotions XFN and Oktagon.
Since becoming a member of the UFC roster, Muradov is a perfect 3-0 with two stoppages, both by knockout. His KOs over Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez earned Muradov UFC “Performance of the Night” bonuses.
Against a top-flight prospect in Muradov and having lost three of his last five, “GM3” is one of the fighters with the longest odds at UFC Vegas 35.
Vanessa Demopoulos
Former LFA strawweight champion Vanessa Demopoulos will finally make her UFC debut Saturday, and she will do so as a +310 betting underdog to JJ Aldrich.
Demopoulos, 32, won the LFA title in 2020 against eventual UFC fighter Sam Hughes but fell short to fellow prospect Cory McKenna on Dana White’s Contender Series. She then suffered a majority decision setback in her October 2020 first title defense against Lupita Godinez, who subsequently signed with the UFC.
Demopoulos took out her frustration with a 37-second TKO of Cynthia Arceo at LFA 103 in March, and now, due to an injury to Aldrich’s original opponent, Tracy Cortez, she will make her UFC debut at last.
Aldrich, 28, is among the flyweight division’s notable prospects. Aldrich was a contestant on the TUF Season 23, where she was submitted in the first round by Tatiana Suarez. Following a three-fight win streak, Aldrich has alternated losses and wins in her last four outings.
Despite the relative inconsistency, oddsmakers consider Demopoulos to be a sizable underdog against Aldrich, who will make her ninth career walk to the Octagon on Saturday night.
UFC Vegas 35 takes place on Aug. 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will kick off at 7 pm ET on ESPN+. Main card action follows at 10 pm ET and will simulcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
–Field Level Media
