MMA enthusiasts, rejoice! UFC 288 is still a week away, but this weekend’s Fight Night promises some serious action. UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon will get underway from the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. ET. The headline offers plenty of betting value, and our expert has a prediction for tonight’s fight between Song Yadong and Ricky Simon.
UFC Fight Night Odds & Bets: Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon Prediction
Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon Odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Ricky Simon: -120 | Song Yadong: +102
Over 4.5: +104 | Under 4.5: -132
Can Ricky Simon continue his meteoric rise up the UFC ranks? The 30-year-old fighter ranks tenth in the bantamweight division and owns a 20-3 record as a professional fighter. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2019, when he dropped consecutive bouts against Urijah Faber and Rob Font. Simon is coming off Performance of the Night honors after a win last July.
Unlike Simon, Song Yadong has likely already reached his ceiling despite his young age. Song ranks eighth in the bantamweight division after a loss to Cory Sandhagen due to a doctor’s stoppage last September. Song is only 3-2 through his last five fights with the loss to Sandhagen and Kyler Phillips.
Simon has a wrestling background and should have a leg up on Song as a grappler. Of Simon’s 20 wins, four have come by submission, including his most recent fight, and 10 have come by decision. However, none of Song’s seven losses have come by submission. Four have come by decision, and five of Song’s last seven fights have gone the distance.
Let’s bet on the headliner to go the distance. Song has respectable takedown defense rating at 71% and shouldn’t let Simon capitalize on his advantage on the floor. Pinnacle, a sharp book, has this fight at +130 (43.5%) to go the distance, but we can find the +150 (40%) at FanDuel Sportsbook. Readers yet to register at FanDuel can score $150 in bonus bets with a $5 wager!
UFC Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon Prediction: To Go the Distance +150 at FanDuel
