The UFC returns to Vegas for another Fight Night event, and we’re looking to capitalize at the sportsbooks by wagering on a highly touted prospect returning from a long layoff.
Continue reading for our UFC Vegas 70 betting guide and UFC picks, taking a first look at the undefeated, 8-0, Tatiana Suarez and her opponent, Montana De La Rosa.
UFC Vegas 70 Hot Prospect Best Bet
UFC Pick: Suarez to Win on Points (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Tatiana Suarez On Points Reasoning
Suarez has outclassed every fighter by a large margin throughout her career. Still, the durability of Montana De La Rosa is enough to support Suarez winning this contest on the judges’ scorecards.
Furthermore, three-plus-years is a long layoff, and although we expect a wrestling-heavy game plan from the favorite, we believe De La Rosa can do enough to stop herself from being stopped inside the distance with a 63% takedown defense rate and no losses via KO/TKO or submission to date.
UFC Vegas 70 Information
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 25, 2023 – 04:00 PM EST
- Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Scheduled Fights: 13
- Main Event: Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann (UFC Light Heavyweight Bout)
UFC Vegas 70 Hot Prospect Profile: Tatiana Suarez
- Pro MMA Record: 8-0 (2 KOs, 3 submissions, 3 decisions)
- UFC Record: 5-0
It’s been almost four years since we witnessed the talented Tatiana Suarez grace a UFC octagon, and she’s finally returning to the fight game on Saturday evening after a grueling layoff that involved multiple injuries.
Suarez made her octagon presence known during The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 in 2016, a competition she dominated with four consecutive victories and three submission stoppages. Her domination continued at 115 lbs once making her debut, defeating household names within the strawweight division, such as Alexa Grasso, former champion Carla Esparza, and Nina Nunes.
Watching Suarez completely dismantle her opponents instantly positioned her as a future title challenger, and critics labeled her a future champion. However, injuries and a long layoff will present new challenges for the California native, and she’ll notably return to the cage at 125 lbs in the flyweight division.
Tatiana Suarez vs. Montana De La Rosa: The Fight Tape
Suarez has practiced freestyle wrestling since the tender age of 4. Behind multiple championships and a 2012 Summer Olympics selection, she was previously ranked the number one free wrestler in the United States at 121 lbs.
Her skill set has been evident during her professional MMA career, which she discovered after practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where she owns a brown belt. The combination of an elite wrestling skillset and BJJ has seen Suarez mop the floor with the opposition in every contest she’s been involved in thus far.
Suarez’s UFC Vegas 70 opponent, Montana De La Rosa (12-7-1), is also known for her wrestling credentials and has mainly relied on this skillset when finding past success in the cage. However, although she has the wrestling offensive and defense to give mid-tier women’s flyweight competitors some problems, she won’t have the tools to counteract Suarez’s overpowering skill and fight IQ.
Watching Maycee Barber out-wrestle De la Rosa is all the evidence we need to understand why Suarez is a -800 favorite heading into this bout. It’s a warm-up bout for the returning prospect, and we aren’t really tasked with picking a winner, but more so how Suarez will achieve it because this fight is already a foregone conclusion.
UFC Vegas 70 Hot Prospect Best Bet
The available UFC odds aren’t giving us much value on the Suarez moneyline, and we can’t blame them. Suarez was dominant during her UFC beginnings. Although she’s significantly older and will enter the octagon on Saturday with some uncertainties, the UFC understands they have a star on their hands and have fed her the idealistic opponent.
Considering Montana De La Rosa’s toughness, proven durability, and Suarez’s layoff and need to brush off some ring rust, wagering on the favorite to win on points will significantly raise the betting value.
UFC Pick: Suarez to Win on Points (-110) at BetOnline
UFC Vegas 70 Main Card & Odds
- Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann [UFC light heavyweight main event bout]
- Andre Muniz vs. Brendan Allen [UFC co-main middleweight bout]
- Augusto Sakai vs. Don’Tale Mayes [UFC heavyweight bout]
- Tatiana Suarez vs. Montana De La Rosa [UFC women’s flyweight bout]
- Mike Malott vs. Yohan Lainesse [UFC welterweight bout]
UFC Vegas 70 Preliminary Card & Odds
- Erick Gonzalez vs. Trevor Peek [UFC lightweight bout]
- Gabriella Fernandes vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius [UFC women’s flyweight bout]
- Jordan Leavitt vs. Victor Martinez [UFC lightweight bout]
- Ode’ Osbourne vs. Charles Johnson [UFC catchweight bout]
- Joe Solecki vs. Carl Deaton III [UFC lightweight bout]
- Nurullo Aliev vs. Rafael Alves [UFC lightweight bout]
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
