UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Yarding Predictions, Picks and Betting Odds February 22

UFC Fight Night Betting Preview

UFC WagerTalk handicapper Andy Lang gives his UFC Fight Night picks and predictions for February 22 with the main event headlined by Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong in a bantamweight fight. The main card starts up at 9:00pm ET from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA.

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Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong: UFC Fight Night Main Event

Saturday, February 22	UFC Fight Night Betting Notes (Courtesy of Caesars)
Moneyline:	Henry Cejudo +220 vs Song Yadong -270
Rounds:	4.5 (Over -220 / Under +170)
Fight Time:	Main Card Starts at 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
Arena:	Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
TV:	ESPN+

UFC Fight Night Predictions

Modestas Bukauskas -310 vs Raffael Cerqueira +250 

There’s not a ton of film on Cerqueira, but from what I’ve seen, not impressed. He got obliterated within 50 seconds of his UFC debut, and it looked like he just froze.

He’s a striker with little head movement, and he’ll have to make massive improvements to stand a chance here.

Bukauskas should have better movement on the feet, and I won’t be surprised if he gets Cerqueira to the ground like he did in his last fight against Prachnio where he got the submission win in round 3.

This -310 number on Bukauskas is massive, but I have a sneaky feeling it’s going to look like a steal. Bukauskas all day.

Mansur Abdul-Malik -700 vs Nick Klein +500 

Klein is coming off a short notice Contender Series win as an underdog where he got a slick takedown and wrapped up the submission in 30 seconds, and it was a memorable  moment for the season, it was emotional, but we didn’t get a good look at what he can do over a longer period of time.

His level of competition hasn’t been great, but we do  know that he’s going to be shooting for takedowns and going for submissions.

Malik did a good job against Todorovic in his last fight stuffing takedowns, and getting away from submissions before getting the ground and pound win, but we have cardio questions about both guys.

Malik has been out of the first round once, and Klein has a few fights  that made it out of the first, and one of the fights he got a finish in the third so I’ve seen Klein show me cardio.

Malik is by far the better striker so it comes down to can Malik  land the damage on the feet before Klein gets him to the ground.

I can’t take -700 on Malik here even though he should win the striking battle and probably get the KO, but have the live lines open. If Malik starts to get tired, and Klein is working the takedowns, he’s worth a live bet. Pre-fight, I’m not betting it.

Javid Basharat -298 vs Ricky Simon +240 

Ricky Simon enters this fight on a three-fight losing streak, struggling to find success despite facing solid competition.

His last performance against Vinicius Oliveira was  concerning, as he looked hurt or disinterested and couldn’t establish his usual chain wrestling.

Javid Basharat, coming off his first career loss, showed strong distance management and a well-rounded ground game, but let Zahabi hang around too long  and faded late.

If Simon fails to impose his wrestling early and sustain it, Basharat’s superior striking will allow him to pick Simon apart on the feet. Given Basharat’s skill set and Simon’s recent struggles, Basharat should get the win.

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Nursulton Ruziboev -300 vs Eric McConico +240 

Nursulton Ruziboev has a clear edge in experience and level of competition heading into this fight against UFC newcomer Eric McConico.

While McConico has shown  versatility in his wins—securing victories via submission, strikes, and decisions—he  hasn’t faced the kind of opposition that Ruziboev has. McConico’s lack of polish was  evident two fights ago when he was dominated in the first round before turning the fight around.

That kind of slow start could be costly against someone with Ruziboev’s power  and well-rounded skill set.

Ruziboev’s striking should give him the advantage on the feet, and his grappling is strong enough to capitalize on any mistakes.

The biggest question is his cardio, but unless McConico can drag this into deep waters, Ruziboev  should be able to control the action and secure the win.

Billy Goff -278 vs Adam Fugitt +200 

Billy Goff and Adam Fugitt are likely to deliver an action-packed fight, but Goff’s aggressive style could end up working against him.

He’s a pressure-heavy fighter who  mixes in wrestling, but his last fight against Trey Waters exposed some key flaws—he  walked straight into strikes, struggled with takedown entries when fatigued, and wore a  lot of damage.

Against lower-level competition, Goff’s relentless approach got him wins, but the UFC isn’t as forgiving. His striking lacks setup, and he wastes energy with  inefficient movement.

Fugitt, on the other hand, has more experience at this level and is coming off a solid win over Josh Quinlan.

While he isn’t an elite striker, his technique is  sound, and he should be able to capitalize on Goff’s reckless forward movement.

With  his kicking game keeping Goff at bay and a more measured approach, Fugitt gets the  edge in what should be a close, high-paced fight.

Ibo Aslan -148 vs Ion Cutelaba +130 

Ion Cutelaba has been a fixture in the division, taking on high-level opponents, but he’s struggled to secure wins against top-tier competition.

While his cardio has been a  concern in the past, he’s shown some improvement by going the distance in his last two  fights—though he was clearly fatigued by the third round.

His striking is serviceable, but  he hasn’t been much of a finisher lately, with just one stoppage victory since 2019.  However, his wrestling should give him a key advantage in this matchup.

Ibo Aslan is a  dangerous power puncher who has finished both of his UFC opponents, but his gas tank is a major question mark, as he faded against Anton Turkalj and took unnecessary damage as the fight progressed.

Aslan is a classic knockout-or-bust fighter without many layers to his game. If Cutelaba can avoid the early power shots and mix in his grappling, he should be able to grind out a close decision win.

Melquizael Costa -112 vs Andre Fili -112 

I’m just not a believer in Fili at this point so I’ll take Costa. He had a nice KO against Almeida, but he won a razor thin split decision against Cub Swanson who was ready to  retire, and he’s lost to Ige and Nathaniel Wood in his last four fights.

It feels like he can  get timid when pressure is put on him, and Costa can put pressure on fighters for sure.  He’s showed he can strike, and that he also has a solid ground game with his recent submission win.

I think Costa is going to be in Fili’s face from the beginning, and if Fili  doesn’t have some big moments on the feet, Costa is going to keep landing and  banking rounds. I agree with the books here that this fight will be close, I’ll side with Costa to outwork Fili.

Alonzo Menifield -175 vs Julius Walker +145 

Alonzo Menifield brings veteran experience into this fight, but at 37 years old and coming off back-to-back knockout losses, there are serious concerns about his durability.

He still has power and physicality, but his recent performances suggest he’s on the decline. Julius Walker, making his UFC debut, has shown himself to be a  dangerous early finisher, though the level of competition he’s faced has been underwhelming.

Both fighters are likely to engage in clinch battles against the cage,  looking for short-range strikes and control time.

If this fight gets out of the first round, cardio could become a major factor for both men, but Menifield’s recent struggles give Walker the edge.

With fresher legs and a more aggressive approach, the younger fighter is the pick to capitalize on Menifield’s decline and get the win.

Jean Silva -575 vs Mesik Baghdasaryan +425 

Silva should roll in this one as this price is fair. Silva is with the Fighting Nerds, who have had a ton of success recently, and Silva is one of the ones making waves in the UFC as he’s 3-0 with 3 finishes.

Silva has sneaky good power, and he’s showed good  patience as to when to let his hands go, and Melsik just doesn’t have the offensive weapons to scare Silva.

Melsik was outwrestled by Tucker Lentz, and despite Melsik  getting the win in that fight, it wasn’t a dominating performance by any stretch, and  before that he was submitted by Culibao who isn’t known for his submissions.

He’s low volume on the feet, and his wrestling doesn’t look great. Silva’s striking is really crisp and powerful, he should get the win here.

Jean Matsumoto -175 vs Rob Font +135 

Rob Font is a well-established veteran with sharp boxing and a clear weakness on the ground. If his opponents don’t wrestle, he can pick them apart, as he did in his upset win over Kyler Phillips.

Jean Matsumoto, an undefeated prospect, has a more well rounded skill set—he can strike, but his real advantage here lies in his grappling.

If he’s  smart, he’ll look to take Font down and control him rather than engage in a prolonged  striking battle. Font will have a height advantage, and Matsumoto isn’t unhittable—Brad  Katona landed clean shots on him in their fight.

This feels like a competitive bout that should go the distance, with Font having success on the feet while Matsumoto mixes in wrestling to slow things down.

Slight lean to Font, but the best bet here is the over, as  both men should have moments without a clear finish threat on either side.

Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez -285 vs Brendan Allen +230 

Pretty easy pick for me here. Hernandez’s cardio and pressure is truly something to  behold as it’s similar to Merab in that he just doesn’t stop, and he’s on a six fight winning streak that I expect him to extend.

Hernandez put on a 5-round ass kicking against Michel Pereira in his last fight getting the ground and pound finish in the 5th  round.

His takedown attempts never stop, his forward pressure never stops, and on the ground he can get submissions or ground and pounds.

Breandan Allen had his 7-fight winning streak snapped against Imavov, and there were some big red flags, most of all that Allen was tiring in the third, which is a massive problem against Fluffy.

Imavov also  was getting takedowns and winning control time on the ground, and if Imavov can do it,  Fluffy can absolutely do it.

Fluffy has gotten off to some slow starts in the past, but he just grinds out impressive wins, and that’s what I think he does here.

UFC Fight Night Main Event: Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong

Song is coming off a loss to Petr Yan, but what a great fight it was to get him ready for Cejudo. We know about Cejudo’s wrestling, and even though he’s lost both fights since making his return, it was against Aljo and Merab, no shame in those.

Song has good  wrestling and sprawls and I think he’ll give Cejudo some solid scraps in the wrestling  department, and Song has the striking advantage for sure.

Neither of these guys  should have cardio issues, but if there are cardio issues I think it might be on Cejudo’s side late, and if he can’t get the wrestling and takedowns completed, he doesn’t have anything else to fall back on.

I think Song is ready to take the next step, I think he pulls away late to get a decision win.

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