Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for UFC Vegas 74 (Back the Underdog)

Nurmagomedov vs Zaleski dos Santos Fight Info, Date & Time

UFC Vegas 74 — Preliminary Card Welterweight Bout
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1, 6 KOs) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (23-7-0, 14 KOs)
Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Fight Time: This will be on the preliminary card, which begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Venue: UFC Apex — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: ESPN+, PPV

Nurmagomedov vs Zaleski dos Santos Odds & Prop Bets

All UFC Vegas 74 odds, lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline:
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov: (+106)
- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos: (-136)

Method of Victory:
- Nurmagomedov by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Nurmagomedov by Points: (N/A)
- Nurmagomedov by Submission: (N/A)
- Zaleski dos Santos by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Zaleski dos Santos by Points: (N/A)
- Zaleski dos Santos by Submission: (N/A)

Nurmagomedov vs Zaleski dos Santos Prediction

Abubakar Nurmagomedov has done everything he can to bounce back from a submission loss to begin his UFC career. He took down Jared Gooden in March of 2021 and Gadzi Omargadzhiev in October of 2022, both via unanimous decision. Building on that momentum is key for the Russian.

It's been much more good than bad for Zaleski dos Santos during his eight years in the octagon. The 36-year-old has won nine of his last 11 fights, most recently emerging victorious over Benoit Saint Denis via unanimous decision at UFC 267. The only thing is that UFC 267 was in October of 2021.

The length of Zaleski dos Santos' absence from UFC action makes him someone I am fading in this matchup. After all, his strength of landing significant strikes is not as important as Nurmagomedov owns a strike defense rate of 66%. He is not a fighter that can be beaten down with relative ease.

Winner: Abubakar Nurmagomedov (+124)

Nurmagomedov vs Zaleski dos Santos Best Bet

Taking Nurmagomedov on the moneyline is certainly a great option here, but I'm going to go even further and take the 33-year-old to win by decision. Each of his two UFC wins have come via decision, while two of Zaleski dos Santo's three losses at the UFC level have come via decision. Zaleski dos Santos is going to have to work hard to shake off the ring rust and I don't see it working out this time.

Bet: Nurmagomedov by Decision (TBD)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.