Overeem vs Sakai: UFC Fight Night odds, expert predictions

The big boys are set to entertain in this week’s UFC Fight Night card as heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai battle it out in the main event.

The UFC Apex Performance Center is the venue for this event, which takes place on Saturday, September 5, and we have a full breakdown and the betting odds for UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai.

Sakai, the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alum, has been on a tear since earning a UFC contract, winning four straight fights in the Octagon, and carries a six-fight winning streak overall into this bout.

Meanwhile, the cage veteran Overeem is set for his 66th pro fight and has found some success recently, winning three of his last four fights, with each of those victories coming via knockout.

Online sportsbook [Sportsbook not available for your region] has released UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai betting odds and has listed Overeem as the -170 favorite with Sakai coming back as a slight +140 underdog. That means you would have to wager $170 to profit $100 for an Overeem win, while a $100 wager would profit you $140 with a Sakai victory. You can find out all of your potential winnings by using our sports betting calculator.

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UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai Betting Odds

Weight Class	Fighter	Odds
Heavyweight	Alistair Overeem	-170
Heavyweight	Augusto Sakai	+140
Light Heavyweight	Ovince Saint Preux	+105
Light Heavyweight	Alonzo Menifield	-135
Welterweight	Michel Pereira	-130
Welterweight	Zelim Imadaev	EVEN
Featherweight	Brian Kelleher	-225
Featherweight	Kevin Natividad	+175
Lightweight	Thiago Moises	-150
Lightweight	Jalin Turner	+120
Middleweight	Andre Muniz	+135
Middleweight	Bartosz Fabinski	-165
Flyweight	Viviane Araujo	-190
Flyweight	Montana De La Rosa	+155
Heavyweight	Alexander Romanov	-160
Heavyweight	Marcos Rogerio de Lima	+130
Bantamweight	Cole Smith	+195
Bantamweight	Hunter Azure	-250

New to betting on the fights? Check out our UFC betting guide to get you in the action. Also, keep an eye on our UFC odds page for the latest up-to-date betting lines.

UFC on ESPN+34 Broadcast Information

Date/Time: September 5, 6 p.m. ET
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Arena: UFC Apex Performance Center
Where to Watch: ESPN+

Alistair Overeem vs Augusto Sakai Betting Odds

Fighter	Odds
Alistair Overeem	-170
Augusto Sakai	+140

Overeem (-170) has been ranked near the top of the heavyweight division for many years, though he has faltered at the very top. His last four losses were to Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Meanwhile, Sakai (+140) hopes a big win over Overeem will get him into that top-five mix in this weight class. He most recently scored a split-decision win over Blagoy Ivanov.

Overeem: Need to Knows

The Demolition Man is primarily known for his fantastic kickboxing skills that have resulted in 24 of his 46 pro victories ending in knockout. In fact, only eight of his 65 pro fights have reached the judges’ scorecards.
While a good portion of Overeem’s wins have come by knockout, his losses have come in the same fashion with 14 of his 18 defeats coming by knockout, including each of his last 11.
The Netherlands native has good footwork and does his best work as a counter-striker. He lands 63 percent of his strikes while making his opponents miss 59 percent of theirs. If they decide to kick, he may search for a takedown as he averages 1.40 per 15 minutes. At times he lunges forward with punches; he’s much more effective with his kicks.
Overeem’s last three fights were Alexei Oleinik (win – knockout), Jairzinho Rozenstruik (loss – knockout) and Walt Harris (win – knockout).

Sakai: Need to Knows

You have to go back more than three years to find Sakai’s only defeat, when he suffered a split-decision loss to Cheick Kongo in Bellator. Since then, he has rattled off six straight wins, with four knockouts.
During his winning streak, which includes four fights in the UFC, he has had two split-decision victories, over Andrei Arlovski and Blagoy Ivanov. The former was a much more controversial decision.
The Brazilian is quite busy on his feet, constantly circling to his left so he can set up his jab, and if his opponents plant their feet, he fires quick kicks. He has a high output for a heavyweight, averaging 5.45 significant strikes per minute, but he also absorbs 3.89 and he only lands 46 percent of his strikes.
Sakai’s last three fights were Andrei Arlovski (win – split decision), Marcin Tybura (win – knockout) and Blagoy Ivanov (win – split decision).

Prediction: Alistair Overeem (-170) via knockout

Ovince Saint Preux vs Alonzo Menifield Betting Odds

Fighter	Odds
Ovince Saint Preux	+105
Alonzo Menifield	-135

After an unsuccessful debut at heavyweight, OSP (+105) has decided to drop back down to the light heavyweight division where he was 2-3 in his last five fights. Menifield (-135) is looking to get his hand raised once again following his first pro loss in June when he took a unanimous-decision defeat to Devin Clark, snapping his 9-0 record.

Saint Preux: Need to Knows

Saint Preux is a big light heavyweight, standing six-foot-three with an 80-inch reach, and he tipped the scales at 240.5 pounds in his heavyweight fight in May. He fought Jon Jones in 2016 for the interim light heavyweight belt but lost via unanimous decision.
OSP is a finisher, with 19 of his 24 pro wins ending before they got to the judges’ scorecards – 11 knockouts and eight submissions, including four Von Flue chokes (now nicknamed the OSP choke).
He has been outstruck in each of his last seven fights and he absorbs 2.91 significant strikes per minute while only landing 2.60. His best weapon is his grappling and he averages 1.27 takedowns per 15 minutes. He holds his hands low, leaving himself open for quick strikes. He’s most effective on the feet when he throws his long kicks and jabs.
Saint Preux’s last three fights were Nikita Krylov (loss – submission), Michal Oleksiejczuk (win – submission) and Ben Rothwell (loss – split decision).

Menifield: Need to Knows

Menifield earned a UFC contract with his eight-second knockout victory over Dashawn Boatwright in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.
Only three times has the 32-year-old gone past the first round and only once has he gone into the third, which just so happens to be his lone defeat, by unanimous decision.
He has finished all nine of his pro wins, eight by knockout and one by submission. He has extreme power but he tends to lumber forward headfirst, which can get him in trouble. Additionally, he throws big punches that use up a lot of energy and slow down quickly. However, he needs just one punch to end the night.
Menifield’s last three fights were Vinicius Castro (win – knockout), Paul Craig (win – knockout) and Devin Clark (loss – unanimous decision).

Prediction: Alonzo Menifield (-135) via knockout

Michel Pereira vs Zelim Imadaev Betting Odds

Fighter	Odds
Michel Pereira	-130
Zelim Imadaev	EVEN

Michel “Demolidor” Pereira (-130) won his UFC debut in impressive fashion with a flying knee, but he enters the cage this time on a two-fight losing skid with his most recent loss coming by disqualification in a fight he was dominating. Zelim Imadaev (EVEN) has lost his two fights in the UFC after sporting a perfect 8-0 record outside of the promotion.

Pereira: Need to Knows

At just 26 years old, it is surprising to see that this will be Pereira’s 37th pro fight. He carries a 23-11 record with two no contests and 16 of his 23 pro wins have been finishes, while eight of his 11 losses have been decisions.
Demolidor has a capoeira style – very light on his feet, throwing many kicks and creative with his strikes. He is a bully in the Octagon, constantly backing his opponents onto the cage before he explodes forward with heavy kicks or flying attacks.
He keeps his hands low, which leaves him open to eating shots if he’s rushed, but his footwork is such that he is able to get out of danger quickly without taking much damage. At times, he can be a little complacent with Octagon control and by simply waiting to counter his opponents.
Pereira’s last three fights were Danny Roberts (win – knockout), Tristan Connelly (loss – unanimous decision) and Diego Sanchez (loss – disqualification).

Imadaev: Need to Knows

Prior to the UFC, Imadaev had a perfect 8-0 record with each of those victories coming by knockout. He is 0-2 in the Octagon with losses by decision and knockout.
Imadaev has been taken down seven times through those two fights, while only landing one takedown of his own. On the feet, he likes to inch forward and in doing so he fires a jab to back his opponents up.
He has a tendency to throw one strike at a time and on a lot of those occasions he is out of range, resulting in him overextending to land. He prefers to get in a phone booth-style fight, struggling to close the distance against faster fighters.
Imadaev’s last three fights were Ivan Gluhak (win – knockout), Max Griffin (loss – majority decision) and Danny Roberts (loss – knockout).

Prediction: Michel Pereira (-130) via decision

Brian Kelleher vs Kevin Natividad

Fighter	Odds
Brian Kelleher	-225
Kevin Natividad	+175

Ready to make his UFC debut is Kevin “Quicksand” Natividad (+175), who lays a five-fight winning streak on the line. Looking to hand him his first loss in three years is Brian “Boom” Kelleher (-225), seeking to get back in the win column after a decision loss in June.

Kelleher: Need to Knows

It has been an up-and-down career for Kelleher in the UFC, sporting a 5-4 record through nine walks to the Octagon. He’s never had a winning or losing streak of more than two in a row.
Boom has a well-rounded skill set with 17 of his 21 pro fights being finishes, eight by knockout and nine by submission. However, he has been outstruck in seven of his nine UFC bouts.
Many of the strikes he throws have big power behind them, but that comes as a cost as his speed dips. He likes to rush at his opponents with a flurry of strikes or a takedown, though at times he pulls himself back from letting the strike go. He does his best work behind his good kicks.
Kelleher’s last three fights were Ode Osbourne (win – submission), Hunter Azure (win – knockout) and Cody Stamann (loss – unanimous decision).

Natividad: Need to Knows

Of Natividad’s 10 pro fights, only three have reached the judges’ scorecards as he has five knockout wins and a submission victory, while his lone defeat was a knockout.
Quicksand closes the distance quickly but tends to throw one strike at a time. He doesn’t react well to opponents’ strikes, rarely checking kicks, and can be hit through the middle of his guard.
All that said, when he lets his hands go, he has good power and accuracy in his punches. Additionally, with just one knockout loss on his record, he is very durable.
Natividad’s last three fights were Tom Ni (win – unanimous decision), Andrew Perez (win – split decision) and Kyle Estrada (win – knockout).

Prediction: Brian Kelleher (-225) via knockout

Thiago Moises vs Jalin Turner Betting Odds

Fighter	Odds
Thiago Moises	-150
Jalin Turner	+120

A pair of lightweights looking to get their footing will kick off the main card. Jalin “The Tarantula” Turner (+120) has gone 2-2 in the UFC after earning a contract in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. The exact same story can be written about Thiago Moises (-150) and both fighters are coming off victories in their last appearances.

Moises: Need to Knows

Moises is a well-rounded fighter, with three knockout wins, five submission wins and four victories coming by decision. Meanwhile, his four pro losses have all been decisions.
He is light on his feet when in striking range, using kicks to keep his opponents at bay, and then bounces back on his rear leg to avoid counters when his foes pressure him. He has been outstruck in three of his four UFC fights.
It’s on the floor where he is most dangerous, constantly searching for submissions, and he flows really well. He will even grab a guillotine if his foe pressures him against the cage, just so that he can get the fight to the canvas.
Moises’ last three fights were Kurt Holobaugh (win – unanimous decision), Damir Ismagulov (loss – unanimous decision) and Michael Johnson (win – submission).

Turner: Need to Knows

Don’t look for a Turner fight to make it to the scorecards with 12 of his 14 pro fights being finishes, including all nine of his wins – eight by knockout and one by submission. Meanwhile, three of his five pro losses have come by knockout.
He has a high output at 5.95 significant strikes per minute and has outstruck his last three opponents. Additionally, his long 77-inch reach is exceptional for the lightweight division, making him more dangerous.
Turner has great reflexes which are evident with his crisp accurate counters. He likes to impose his size on his opponents against the cage, making them feel like they have to swing at him, which is when he will dodge and storm forward with combinations.
Turner’s last three fights were Callan Potter (win – knockout), Matt Frevola (loss – unanimous decision) and Joshua Culibao (win – knockout).

Prediction: Thiago Moises (-150) via submission

UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai Picks

Fighter	Odds
Alistair Overeem (Heavyweight)	-170
Alonzo Menifield (Light Heavyweight)	-135
Michel Pereira (Welterweight)	-130
Brian Kelleher (Featherweight)	-225
Thiago Moises (Lightweight)	-150