UFC Vegas 68 is a compensation card for South Korean UFC fans.
The event was supposed to take place in the East, but unfortunately, no fight was found for local superstar Chan Sung Jung. The event is still catered to that specific audience, starting with the prelims at 10 p.m. EST and the main card at 1 a.m. EST.
The main event is a rebooked heavyweight matchup between perennial contender and fan favorite Derrick Lewis as he looks to fend off Moldova’s “Polar Bear,” Sergey Spivak. It will be interesting to see how the early morning time change affects the big boys in a bout important to both men’s careers for different reasons.
In this betting preview, we’ll take a look at the full five-fight main card plus one of the more notable preliminary bouts:
- Main Event: Derrick Lewis vs. Sergey Spivak
- Co-Main Event: Da Un Jung vs. Devin Clark
- Marcin Tybura vs. Blagoy Ivanov
- Doo-ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson
- Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Adam Fuggitt
- Prelim highlight: Tatsuro Taira vs. Jesus Santos Aguilar
Assuming you are in a legal sports betting state, UFC Vegas 68 offers some playable wagers to add to the entertainment of watching high-stakes mixed martial arts.
Let’s see what UFC Vegas 68 has on tap for sports bettors.
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook are current at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Heavyweight: Lewis vs. Spivak
- Moneyline: Lewis +190, Spivak -250
- Prediction: Spivak by KO/TKO
- Best Bet: Spivak by KO/TKO +135
There isn’t any reason to feel differently about this fight than you may have this past November when it was initially supposed to happen.
Aside from Lewis seemingly leaning out significantly, nothing has changed.
Lewis will always be amongst the division’s hardest hitters as long as he’s an active competitor. That may be his only saving grace, as his chin failed him in three of his last four fights. Riding a two-fight skid after encounters with Sergei Pavlovich and Tai Tuivasa, the all-time leader in UFC knockouts is hanging on to relevancy in this one and will need to land on Spivak before he gets touched up and or taken down.
Spivak’s fight IQ has been a big highlight during his last two TKO stoppage victories. The 28-year-old wisely got the action to the mat against Augusto Sakai and Greg Hardy, battering each until they couldn’t handle it anymore. There should be little resistance from Lewis in the grappling department despite his unshakeable ability to “just stand up” when in bad positions.
Rangey strikes will lead Spivak into his takedown attempts, where he’ll find his success. All the Moldovan needs in this one is to avoid a bomb, and he should keep his streak alive.
Light Heavyweight: Jung vs. Clark
- Moneyline: Jung -265, Clark +200
- Prediction: Jung by KO/TKO
- Best Bet: Jung by KO/TKO +125
Jung has been a violent and entertaining fighter throughout his six-fight run with the UFC, and a Clark win would make for an excellent addition to his resume.
“Brown Bear’s” job may be in jeopardy this time out. Clark is 1-3 in his last four appearances and last saw himself finished by Azamat Murzakanov in his divisional return after a stab at heavyweight. While Clark hasn’t been knocked out a lot in his 20-fight career (3 by KO/TKO, 3 by submission), his chin has always been susceptible to clean shots.
Jung’s ability to land ferocious strikes will crumble Clark if the Korean can keep his opponent from wrestling him.
Heavyweight: Tybura vs. Ivanov
- Moneyline: Tybura -146, Ivanov +114
- Prediction: Tybura by points
- Best Bet: Tybura by points +180
It’s felt like ages since Ivanov last stepped foot inside the octagon. Fighting only once since May 2020 will do that, though.
The former World Series of Fighting heavyweight champion looks to get back on a winning streak in his matchup with Tybura. “Tybur” will look to do the same after setting back the previously undefeated Alexandr Romanov this past August.
Ivanov has been notoriously durable in his fighting career. Ivanov has never been knocked out in 24 bouts, with only four losses. Meanwhile, Tybura has found his best stride in recent years after catching some bombs from some of the division’s big hitters. Luckily for Tybura, Ivanov just isn’t that.
The accomplished Samboist has the knockout ability; it hasn’t been seen in the UFC yet, as he last won a fight with strikes in 2017. Ivanov is an evade and accumulate type of striker. His grappling is always a nice ace up his sleeve, but we’ve seen bigger, more athletic fighters stifle him against the cage when needed. Tybura will mix up his game to keep the somewhat inactive Ivanov gunshy en route to a decision win.
Featherweight: Choi vs. Nelson
- Moneyline: Choi -174, Nelson +134
- Prediction: Choi by KO/TKO
- Best Bet: Choi to win -174
It’s desperation time for the “Korean Superboy.”
Choi has always been must-see TV during his time in the cage. Generally a kill-or-be-killed fighter every time out, the biggest question will be whether or not he tries to play it safer after three consecutive losses. He also has yet to fight since December 2019.
The 31-year-old will probably be more cautious than we’re accustomed to seeing. Once they get into their first exchange, the chaotic Choi everyone loves will come out of his shell and have Nelson on his heels. The Canadian will want to try and outwrestle Choi early in this one to keep him from getting going. Nelson has struggled against big power punches, though, which will be a problem to avoid here.
Welterweight: Kinoshita vs. Fugitt
- Moneyline: Kinoshita -340, Fugitt +250
- Prediction: Kinoshita by KO/TKO
- Best Bet: Kinoshita by KO/TKO +125
Fugitt is being fed to two of Dana White’s Contender Series’ biggest highlights from the past two seasons.
Suffering a knockout defeat against Michael Morales in his July UFC debut, Fugitt put up a good effort but got relatively overzealous. Fugitt will need to tighten up his combinations when pressuring in, mixing in better-timed takedown attempts on Kinoshita, who can pack power from any space.
Kinoshita has also found the neck in his two submission wins, providing Fugitt with even more reason to be cautious with entries. Fugitt’s chances increase significantly on the ground. It’s just hard to trust him pulling through in this matchup with a hot Kinoshita.
Prelim: Flyweight: Taira vs. Aguilar
- Moneyline: Taira -1600, Aguilar +750
- Prediction: Taira by submission
- Best Bet: Taira by submission -140
23 and unbeaten in 12 fights, Taira looks every bit the future of the flyweight division.
Taira has impressed with his strong grappling game throughout his career, which didn’t change once arriving in the UFC this past May. This matchup with Aguilar, who also fancies himself some fun scrambles and submission attempts, should be a grappler’s delight.
Ultimately, the level of competition is the difference maker here in favor of Taira. He’s improving at an exponential rate, and he looks better every time out. This is the time to catch him for Aguilar, but that’s easier said than done.
