UFC on ESPN 57 picks, predictions & best bets: Cannonier vs. Imavov | Pickswise

UFC on ESPN 57 takes place on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This card features a middleweight fight between Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov as the Main Event. Here are our best bets for this UFC card, which will include 3 fights on the Main Card.

Be sure to also check out the rest of our UFC predictions for all of the UFC on ESPN 57 Main Card fights.

UFC on ESPN 57 Main Card Best Bets

Jared Cannonier ML over Nassourdine Imavov (+102)

The Main Event at UFC on ESPN 57 will see Jared Cannonier take on Nassourdine Imavov. This will be a fight in the UFC Middleweight division.

Cannonier comes into this fight with an MMA record of 17-6 and he is 10-6 in the UFC. Cannonier is averaging 4.68 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 52%. He is absorbing 4.13 strikes and has a striking defense of 59%. His grappling has been decent at best, averaging just 0.44 takedowns per every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 42% and a takedown defense of 63%.

Imavov is a small favorite in this fight, but we will be looking for Cannonier to pull the small upset. He has the better overall striking and has a solid takedown defense, which should neutralize the grappling advantage for Imavov. For that reason, backing Cannonier to win will be our best bet.

Zach Reese ML over Julian Marquez (+114)

The second fight on the Main Card at UFC on ESPN 57 will see Julian Marquez take on Zach Reese. This will be a fight in the UFC Middleweight division.

Reese comes into this fight with an MMA record of 6-1 and he is 1-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.93 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 66%. Reese is absorbing 6.56 strikes and has a striking defense of 28%. While his UFC career has been brief, Reese is averaging 9.8 submission attempts per every 15 minutes.

Marquez is the small favorite in this fight, but his recent form is concerning. He has lost 3 of his last 5 UFC fights, including his last 2 UFC fights in a row. Reese has only had 2 UFC fights in his career, but has an elite ability to force submissions, therefore backing Reese to win and pull the small upset will be our play.

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano – Over 1.5 Total Rounds (-115)

The first fight on the Main Card at UFC on ESPN 57 will see Miguel Baeza take on Punahele Soriano. This will be a fight in the UFC Welterweight division.

Baeza comes into this fight with an MMA record of 10-3 and he is 4-3.  On the other side, Soriano comes into this fight with an MMA record of 9-4 and he is 4-4 in the UFC.

Baeza is the clear favorite in this fight, but instead we will be looking at a total rounds prop. Baeza has seen 5 of his 7 UFC fights go over 1.5 total rounds, while Soriano has seen 4 of his last 5 UFC fights do the same. Because of this, also backing this fight to go over 1.5 rounds will be our play.