UFC Vegas 6: Lewis vs Oleynik Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

• The Octagon remains at the UFC Apex for UFC Vegas 6
• Top-15 heavyweights headline the card as Derrick Lewis battles Alexey Oleynik
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Vegas 6 main card below

The UFC has a full slate of events in the month of August with three fight nights, a pay-per-view, and four Contender Series events. So, for the biggest mixed martial arts promotion, the events continue to roll on as UFC Vegas 6 takes place this Saturday, Aug. 8. The main card starts at 9pm ET on ESPN+.

In the main event, fan-favorite and knockout artist, Derrick Lewis battles the always dangerous submission specialist, Alexey Oleynik. The co-main event pairs surging middleweight contender, Omari Akhmedov against former champion Chris Weidman. The table below shows odds for the entire main card at two different sportsbooks, followed by best bets for the event.

UFC Vegas 6 Odds

*All odds taken August 3

Can Oleynik Get His 60th Career Win?

Derrick Lewis (23-7) is on a two-fight winning streak where he beat Ilir Latifi and Blagoy Ivanov by decision. Before that, he suffered a TKO loss to Junior dos Santos and a submission loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 230 for the heavyweight title. In his career, he has notable wins over Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou, Roy Nelson, and Travis Browne.

Alexey Oleynik (59-13-1) is quietly on a two-fight winning streak where last time out he pulled off the betting upset with a win over Fabricio Werdum. The 43-year-old Russian made his pro-MMA debut in 1996 and has won fights in the ’90s, 2000s, 2010s and the 2020s. He has notable wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Travis Browne, and Mark Hunt.

Lewis vs Oleynik Key Stats

This is such a weird but fascinating heavyweight matchup. Lewis and Oleynik are polar opposites in their styles as this is a classic striker vs grappler matchup. “The Black Beast” will want to keep this fight on the feet and look for the knockout. The Russian meanwhile, will want to take it to the ground and look for his 47th submission win.

Lewis is the better fighter and has the better gas tank, as we’ve seen Oleynik gas out after a round or two. So, if the Russian is to win, he needs to get Lewis down early and submit him in the first or second. Yet, Lewis has underrated takedown defense and has so much strength I think he will be able to get back to his feet if he gets taken down.

So, I believe Oleynik will standup and strike with The Black Beast early, get caught with something early, shoot for a takedown, have it stuffed and Lewis finish it off via ground and pound TKO in the first or second. If this fight gets past the third round, we could see a very sloppy fight.

Right now, I also think -215 is a fair price for Lewis, but I wouldn’t bet anything higher than -225. So, if it gets past that, look for a Lewis inside the distance prop.

Pick: Derrick Lewis (-215)

Will Weidman Snap His Losing Streak?

Omari Akhmedov (20-4-1) is undefeated in the UFC since moving up to the middleweight division. There, he is 3-0-1 with his debut fight at 185-pounds ending in a draw against Marvin Vettori. Since then, the Russian has decision wins over Tim Boetsch, Zak Cummings, and Ian Heinisch.

Chris Weidman (14-5) is just 1-5 in his last six fights since losing his middleweight title. Last time out, he fought at light heavyweight and suffered a knockout loss to Dominick Reyes in the first round. He will now be dropping back down to 185-pounds. In his career, he has notable wins over Anderson Silva (twice), Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Demian Maia and Kelvin Gastelum.

As of late, the knock on Chris Weidman has been his chin. He has been winning most of his fights, except for the Reyes one, then gets caught and knocked out. But, I believe this is the fight that everything changes. Akhmedov and Weidman are similar styles as both like to grind guys out with their wrestling and pressure.

Yet, the former champion will be bigger, stronger and has the better gas tank. Akhmedov also doesn’t have that knockout power. So, I think Weidman will be able to either grind out the Russian for a decision win over score a late third-round ground and pound TKO.

Pick: Chris Weidman (-117)

Other UFC Vegas 6 Picks:

• Darren Stewart (-176): I’m not high on either guy but Stewart is the better all-around fighter. But, to me, this isn’t a fight you should bet.
• Yana Kunitskaya (-225): Kunitskaya was set to take on Ketlen Vieira but she pulled out. Now, against Stoliarenko, Kunitskaya should be able to do enough on the feet to win a decision.
• Beneil Dariush (-162): I don’t understand this matchmaking. Dariush deserves a top-15 guy and should be able to get Holtzman to the ground and submit him.