UFC Vegas 55 Odds, Picks & Predictions – Holm vs Vieira
- Former UFC bantamweight champ Holly Holm returns for the first time in over a year
- Santiago Ponzinibbio takes on Michel Pereira in the co-main event
- See the UFC Vegas 55 odds below, along with our best bet predictions for the main card
The UFC remains at the Apex on Saturday, May 21st for UFC Vegas 55. In the main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm returns for the first time since October 2020 to take on Ketlen Vieira. The co-main event sees 14th-ranked welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio battles the always entertaining Michel Pereira.
UFC Vegas 55 main card airs live on ESPN+ at 7 pm ET. The table below shows UFC Vegas 55 odds for the main card at Barstool Sportsbook followed by best bets.
UFC Vegas 55 Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Holly Holm | -230 |
| Ketlen Vieira | +175 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Santiago Ponzinibbio | -106 |
| Michel Pereira | -118 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Chidi Njokuani | -215 |
| Dusko Todorovic | +165 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Polyana Viana | +100 |
| Tabatha Ricci | -124 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Eryk Anders | +164 |
| Jun Yong Park | -215 |
*All odds as of May 17th
Holm vs Vieira Odds, Prediction & Best Bet
Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira are both looking to earn a title shot with a win as Holm is looking to reclaim her title while Vieira is hoping to take out another former champ in back-to-back fights.
Holm vs Vieira Recent Fights
| Irene Aldana, win by decision | Fight 1 | Miesha Tate, win by decision |
| Raquel Pennington, win by decision | Fight 2 | Yana Kunitskaya, loss by decision |
| Amanda Nunes, loss by TKO (title fight) | Fight 3 | Sijara Eubanks, win by decision |
| Megan Anderson, win by decision | Fight 4 | Irene Aldana, loss by KO |
Vieira is getting back-to-back main events and there’s no question the UFC was hoping Miesha Tate had beat her last November. Tate is a former champ and getting her a title shot would do big business, but Vieira fought a smart fight and will now have to take out another former champ and a fan-favorite in Holm to get that shot at the belt.
One of the big questions entering this fight is how the layoff will impact Holm as she has been forced out of two fights due to injuries.
Holm vs Vieira Stats
| 40 | Age | 30 |
| 5’8″ | Height | 5’8″ |
| 69″ | Reach | 68″ |
| 2 | UFC Finishes | 1 |
When Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey – which was Rousey’s first career loss – many expected her to be the next big superstar. Yet, she struggled after that and went 1-4 in her next five. She has since rebounded nicely to once again enter the title picture but is now 40-years-old and has not fought since October of 2020.
If Vieira is going to have success in this fight, she will need to wrestle Holm as ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ is a great boxer who will be able to pick apart the Brazilian on the feet. I do expect Vieira to have some success getting Holm to the ground in the early rounds but won’t be able to do much with it.
As the fight extends, Holm will begin to take over and start landing heavy punches and kicks to win the rounds and likely win a decision. Vieira’s gas tank is a concern as I don’t think she will be able to go five rounds at the pace of Holm. At -230, Holm is a good parlay piece, or look for Holm by decision to get better odds.
- Pick: Holly Holm (-230)
Ponzinibbio vs Pereira UFC Vegas 55 Pick
In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 55, a phenomenal welterweight clash goes down as two-high-level strikers meet as Santiago Ponzinibbio takes on Michel Pereira.
Ponzinibbio & Pereira Recent Fights
| Geoff Neal, loss by split decision | Fight 1 | Andre Fialho, win by decision |
| Miguel Baeza, win by decision | Fight 2 | Niko Price, win by decision |
| Li Jingliang, loss by KO | Fight 3 | Khaos Williams, win by decision |
| Neil Magny, win by KO | Fight 4 | Zelim Imadaev, win by submission |
Since Ponzinibbio returned from a near career-ending health scare, he hasn’t looked the same as he was knocked out by Li Jingliang in his return. In his last fight against Geoff Neal, Ponzinibbio wasn’t active enough and it was Neal landing the better, more effective shots.
Pereira, meanwhile, is wild as he will jump off the Octagon to land punches and kicks while he also does somersaults and flips in the middle of the cage. However, he has toned it down a little, and in this fight, I expect Pereira to be the more active striker and land the better shots to win a decision in a very fan-friendly fight.
- Pick: Michel Pereira (-118)
Other UFC Vegas 55 Picks:
- Chidi Njokuani (-215): Njokuani is the better striker and is a solid parlay piece for this weekend but to get better odds, take Njokuani by KO.
- Polyana Viana (+100): This is a very intriguing matchup but on the ground, Viana is better and will eventually get ahold of Ricci’s arm to get the submission win.
- Jun Yong Park (-215): Park and Anders will stand and trade for most of the fight but Park is the more effective and better striker so take Park by decision here as Anders is as durable as they come.
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOKBET $5 & GET $200 INSTANTLY & A NO SWEAT NBA SGP EVERY DAY!
- FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
BET $5 & GET $150 GUARANTEED!
- BETMGM SPORTSBOOK
GET UP TO $1,500 BACK IN BONUS BETS!
- CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
GET UP TO $1,000 BACK - ON CAESARS!
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
