This article is part of our UFC Picks series.
The UFC heads to San Diego, California on Saturday, August 13 for UFC San Diego. In the main event, Marlon Vera headlines a card for the second straight time as he takes on former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.
Below I'll share my favorite play, an underdog pick, a prop and a two-fighter parlay on. All odds are via the DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the post date of this article.
Weight Class: Flyweight
Ode Osbourne (11-4) vs. Tyson Nam (20-12-1)
This card is full of favorites that are above -200, which makes it hard to play straight, as there is more risk. One favorite I do like is Ode Osbourne to beat Tyson Nam on Saturday night.
Nam hasn't fought since January of 2021 in a split decision loss to Matt Schnell to drop him to 2-3 in the UFC, and the only two fighters he has beaten are no longer on the UFC roster. Osbourne, meanwhile, has been a bit more impressive, as even in his lone flyweight loss to Manel Kape, he had moments in that fight and was winning it before getting caught by the flying knee.
Nam also searches for that one-punch KO and with that, I expect Osbourne to be able to avoid the power shots and piece him up with the jab. He can also use his wrestling to win rounds and ultimately get a decision.
UFC San Diego Best Bet: Ode Osbourne (-245)
Weight Class: Light heavyweight
Devin Clark (13-6) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (11-0)
For my underdog play, I'm taking Devin Clark to hand Azamat Murzakanov his first career loss.
Clark finally got his first UFC stoppage win last time out and looked much better while doing so. One adjustment he made prior to that fight was changing camps to Elevation Fight Team in Denver, Colorado to work with Curtis Blaydes and others.
Against Murazakanov, Clark will have to avoid the flying knees and flashy strikes, but Clark is tough to put away, and I expect him to use his wrestling to wear on Murzakanov, similar to what Tafon Nchukwi did before he got caught. Clark has the better grappling and gas tank, which could make this a boring, grinding type of fight, but also allow him to do enough to win.
UFC San Diego Best Bet: Devin Clark (+130)
Weight Class: Featherweight
David Onama (10-1) vs. Nate Landwehr (15-4)
David Onama is the real deal and will continue to prove that in the co-main event of UFC San Diego on Saturday.
Onama lost his UFC debut when he fought Mason Jones on short notice at lightweight, but since dropping down to featherweight, he's 2-0 with two stoppages. He now gets a very fun opponent in Landwehr who's a kill-or-be-killed fighter, and that style plays right into Onama.
The Glory MMA fighter should be able to connect from the opening bell on Landwehr, who has a problem of getting caught early. Meanwhile, Onama has a ton of quick finishes. I like Onama to clip the chin early and get the TKO win.
UFC San Diego Best Bet: David Onama by KO/TKO/DQ (+120)
Weight Class: Lightweight & Middleweight
Gabriel Benitez (22-10) vs. Charlie Ontiveros (11-8)
Bruno Silva (22-7) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (34-15)
For my parlay, I'm taking Gabriel Benitez and Bruno Silva to get their hands raised at UFC San Diego.
Benitez is moving up to lightweight and gets a very favorable matchup in Charlie Ontiveros, who has been knocked out in both of his UFC fights. He now faces a Benitez, who has a ton of power and lands 4.6 significant strikes per minute, while Ontiveros absorbs 4.6. This is a terrible matchup for Ontiveros, who will likely get TKO'd early here.
In the other leg, I like Bruno Silva to beat Gerald Meerschaert in what is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.
Silva has a ton of power and is a great striker, as he lands 4.94 significant strikes per minute (while Meerschaert absorbs 3.53). Although we have seen Meerschaert pull off incredible comeback wins before, Silva actually has a decent ground game and has a 68 percent takedown defense, so I expect him to keep it standing and either get a TKO win or get a clear-cut decision.
UFC San Diego Best Bet: Benitez & Silva parly (-139)
UFC San Diego Best Bets:
Here is a recap of my best UFC picks for this weekend's UFC San Diego event:
- Ode Osbourne (-245)
- Devin Clark (+135)
- David Onama by KO/TKO/DQ (+120)
- Gabriel Benitez and Bruno Silva parlay (-139)
For up-to-date information on the latest odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the UFC odds page on RotoWire.
