UFC Macau Prelims Predictions & Picks – Best Bets Include Kangjie vs Vera

• Saturday’s UFC Macau Prelims feature seven fights, including the Zhu Kangjie vs Rodrigo Vera featherweight bout
• Vera has just one career loss in 23 professional fights
• See my UFC Macau prelims predictions, picks and best bets including Kangjie vs Vera

The UFC touches down in Macau this weekend, and you’re going to need to set your alarm to avoid missing this card. Fights begin before the sun comes up in North America, with 13 bouts on deck, including seven on the undercard.

My favorite prelims bout to target is the Zhu Kangjie vs Rodrigo Vera tilt, as I don’t believe oddsmakers are nearly as bullish on Vera as they should be.

The UFC Macau Prelims are set to get underway at 4:15 am ET, 1:15 am PT on Paramount+, with the Main Card fights starting at 7:15 am PT, 4:15 am ET also on Paramount+.

Here are my UFC Macau Prelims predictions and picks, along with my best bets, including Kangjie vs Vera.

UFC Macau Prelims Predictions: Rodrigo Vera Moneyline

• UFC Macau Prelims Pick #1: Rodrigo Vera Moneyline (-112 at Bet365)

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At the time of writing, Vera is a slight favorite over Kangjie, sporting -112 odds to score a victory. The 30-year-old is making his UFC debut, but he’s far from green when it comes to the world of MMA. Vera is a veteran of 23 professional fights, with only one blemish on his resume. He was recently signed right off the regionals, and has the ingredients to expose Kangjie.

Vera’s biggest advantage is his superior grappling ability. Kangjie is a dangerous, forward pressing striker, but he has huge holes in his defense, especially on the mat. Look no further to his recent fight with another strong grappler in Shin Haraguchi, where Kangjie was taken down 16 times and held for over 6 and a half minutes during the third and fourth rounds.

Vera is a similar grappling talent to Haraguchi, but also offers a lot more power from his feet should he chose to exchange. Also working in his favor is a durable chin and top notch condition. Kangjie has a tendency to start fights with his hair on fire, only to fade as the rounds progress. As his output begins to dwindle, he’ll be succeptible to takedowns, where Vera can outpoint him or go for the finish.

UFC Macau Prelims Predictions: Jingnan Xiong Moneyline

• UFC Macau Prelims Pick #2: Jingnan Xiong (-198 at DraftKings)

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Next up, I’m targeting another UFC debutant in Jingnan Xiong. She’ll face legend Angela Hill in a strawweight bout, after dominating the ONE Championship circuit for years. Xiong has seven title defenses on her resume and hasn’t lost since 2019. Hill on the other hand, is making her 30th appearance in the Octagon, and has looked every bit of her 41-year-old age recently, dropping three of her last five fights.

This fight is likely going to be settled standing up, which is a big advantage for Xiong. She boasts a five inch reach and two inch leg reach advantage, and is a world class boxer. She’s a former member of the elite Chinese national boxing team, and is a master at using her range to pepper combinations and counter aggressively.

Xiong brings explosive power that is rare in the 115-pound division, and comes with a 58% finishing rate. Hill has struggled recently against precise, heavy-handed hitters, which is exactly what Xiong brings to the table.

This is fight is actually a rematch of their 2019 bout which Hill emerged victorious from. The American has put a lot of miles on her body and chin recently, and she no longer boasts the kind of speed or power to hurt her opponent. I’ll bet on Xiong emerging victorious, but if you want to swing for a larger pay day I think you can make an excellent case that she’ll finish Hill by knockout, which pays +500.