UFC Fight Night expert picks and best bets: Can Holly Holm keep her title hopes alive? - ESPN

Women's bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva will square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas (10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+).

Holm, a former women's bantamweight champion, has won three of her past four fights and is ranked No. 4 in ESPN's divisional rankings. She picked up a unanimous decision over Yana Santos in her last fight in March. Bueno Silva, unranked by ESPN, is riding a three-fight win streak. She has won back-to-back fights by submission.

Marc Raimondi spoke to Xtreme Couture MMA coach Eric Nicksick to get his perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the card.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

How Holm wins: I like what Holm did in the Santos fight. She started to put combinations together and utilized her length. She's always done that well, but that will be imperative in this fight. While Holm is listed at 5-foot-8, I feel like she's a little taller than that. And then Bueno Silva is listed as 5-foot-6, and I don't think she's that tall. So being a long-range sniper, which has always favored Holm, will be beneficial. It will also be important for her to use linear attacks up the middle to negate some of Bueno Silva's level changes. Holly picks people apart by sniping them and then looks for the finishes. Holm should utilize the left head kick out of an open stance (an orthodox fighter against a southpaw). Bueno Silva tends to switch stances, but when she's in an orthodox stance, that kick will be a good weapon for Holm to close down Bueno Silva's right hand. Bueno