UFC Saudi Arabia: Whittaker vs Eliscroft predictions, odds: MMA expert reveals surprising fight card picks

Daniel Vithalani reveals his UFC fight night picks and prop bets for the Ikram Elscroft vs. Robert Whittaker fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The UFC makes its first trip to Saudi Arabia on Saturday with a UFC Fight Night card that features former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on prized prospect Ikram Elscroft in the main event. Their scheduled five-round showdown begins on the main UFC Saudi Arabia card at 3 p.m. ET from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The No. 3-ranked Whittaker is looking to defend his spot in the top heavyweight division with the goal of possibly rematching for the title by the end of the year. He faces a tough challenge at short notice against the unranked Aliskirov, who was thrust into the spotlight after his fellow countryman, Khamzat Chemayev, pulled out of the fight due to illness.

Whittaker is a -150 favorite ($150 risk to win $100), while Elscroft returns at +125 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Elscroft odds. In the co-main event, Sergey Pavlovich (-220) will face Alexander Volkov (+180) in a battle of the ranked heavyweight contenders. Before you lock in your picks for UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov, make sure you check out MMA predictions and betting tips from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithalani.

From breaking down film and closely following fighters and their camps, to tracking fast action and betting market signals, Vitthalani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape from top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and regularly interacts with MMA fighters to understand the nuances of the sport.

Vithalani made his Sportsline debut in January 2023 and swept the main card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 record and has been a consistent winner ever since. In the past 12 UFC pay-per-view events, Vithalani has gone 8-4 on main event picks and his main card picks have netted his followers more than $1,500 over that span.

His highlights include predicting an upset of Sean O’Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners Poirier ( +190) includes underdog selections against the Saints. Dennis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) vs. Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC Fight Night: UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Alliscroft on deck, Vithalani has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top picks. You can watch only those picks and analysis on SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Elscroft Preview

Whittaker (25-7) is a 12-year UFC veteran who is one of the most respected active fighters in the promotion. The 33-year-old New Zealander is known for his durability, versatile skill set and willingness to take on all qualified opponents.

Since moving up in weight class early in his career, Whittaker is 13-3 at middleweight, with losses to former champion Israel Adesanya (twice) and current titleholder Dreux du Plessis. Whittaker has primarily served as a top-three middleweight gatekeeper over the past few years, and only Du Plessis has passed that test.

Whittaker has summarily ruled out all other contenders, but this matchup has a different background. The UFC has long been high on Chemayev’s potential, but the Dagestani fighter’s career has been derailed at every turn by illness, injury and travel issues. Whittaker was perhaps the only top-five middleweight ready to take on Chimayo, and now he’s turned his attention to another prospect who shares many similarities with Whittaker’s arch-rival.

Like Chemayev, Aleskarov (15-1) is a rugged Dagestani bruiser with flashy skills and a sinister temperament. However, the 31-year-old is far less experienced at the UFC level than Chimaev and has had two UFC fights against journeymen Phil Hughes and Warley Alves, both of which ended in the first round.

The unranked Alekirov was originally expected to appear on last week’s UFC Fight Night card, but the promotion pulled him when he was slated to face Whittaker on Saturday. Although he is untested and unranked, a win against the former champion would likely move Alliscroft into the top five rankings immediately. You can see just who to return on UFC Fight Night right here.

UFC Fight Night Predictions

We’ll share one of Vithalani’s UFFC fight night picks here: He’s backing Daniel Rodriguez (+205) to pull off an upset of Calvin Gastelum (-250) in a veteran welterweight fight on the main card.

Gastelum (17-9-1) entered the UFFC to much fanfare in April 2013 after winning the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter.” He emerged as a potential title challenger after winning his first four fights but has struggled since then. Gain traction against top-tier competition. The 32-year-old Californian has dropped three of his last four fights, including a submission loss to prospect Sean Brady last December.

Rodriguez (17-4) is a power puncher who was once ranked in the top 15 on the back of a four-fight winning streak but has been slowed by back-to-back losses. He was stopped by rising star Ian Geary in the first round of their fight in May last year.

“Gastelum has been hitting hard as of late and, with over 20 UFFC fights logged, his granite chin can only last so long,” Vithalani told SportsLine. . See who else is back here.

How to Make UFC Fight Night Picks

Vithalani has strong options for Whittaker vs. Alliscroft and other bouts on the UFFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing a fighter who “brings a menacing presence to the Octagon” to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night Odds, Fight Card

See full UFFC fight night picks, predictions, best bets here.
Robert Whittaker (-150) vs. Ikram Alikirov (+125)
Sergey Pavlovich (-220) vs. Alexander Volkov (+180)
Kelvin Gastelum (-250) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (+205)
Johnnie Walker (-120) vs. Vulcan Ozdemir (+100)
Sharia Magomedov (-240) vs. Joelton Lauterbach (+195)
Nusrat Haqprast (-240) vs. Jared Gordon (+195)
Ranat Fakhrdinov (-340) vs Nicholas Dolby (+270)
Kyung Ho Kang (+130) vs Moen Ghaforov (-155)
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (-345) vs. Brandon Ribeiro (+275)
Xiao Long (-120) vs Chang Hu Li (+100)