The UFC returns to Vancouver this weekend for a Fight Night card headlined by middleweight contenders Reinier de Ridder and Brendan Allen, plus a group of Canadians looking to win at home.
The last time the UFC held an event in the city – UFC 289 in June of 2023 – every Canadian fighter on that card earned a victory at Rogers Arena. On Saturday at the same venue, seven are featured. Four of the Canucks are favoured to wins their matchups, according to the betting odds, while three are entering the weekend as underdogs.
De Ridder will be looking to improve to 5-0 in the UFC and potentially earn a title shot at 185 pounds if he can manage to impressively defeat Allen who’s coming off a Fight of the Night victory in the summer.
All 26 fighters set to compete Saturday successfully made weight Friday. Below is the projected bout order for UFC Vancouver and full predictions for the card. Aaron Bronsteter is coming off a perfect 4/4 event last weekend at UFC Rio after riding with former champions Charles Oliveira and Deiveson Figueiredo and nailing his ninth dart throw long shot pick of the year.
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The UFC returns to Vancouver this weekend for a Fight Night event at Rogers Arena. Watch the action Saturday, Oct. 18, on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
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— Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen
— Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott
— Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi
— Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
— Cody Gibson vs. Aori Qileng
— Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola
— Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant
— Bruno Silva vs. Park Hyun-sung
— Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Santos
— Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober
— Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira
— Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui
— Melissa Croden vs. Tainara Lisboa
Ahead of each UFC event in 2025, UFC reporter Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter), producer Dan Fernandes (@DanFernandes__) and writer/editor Mike Johnston (@MikeyJ_MMA) will peruse the odds and make four betting predictions using fantasy dollars: one best bet, one favourite, one underdog and one dart throw wager. REMINDER: Sportsnet is committed to promoting and educating audiences about the importance of betting responsibly. Sources for responsible gambling can be found HERE.
Cage Lock: Luciano vs. Oliveira goes the distance -250
Favourite: Aiemann Zahabi -135
Underdog: Jasmine Jasudavicius +210
Dart Throw: Belgaroui by decision +750
Luciano and Oliveira is a very competitive fight and I don’t expect to see a finish. … Zahabi should be able to use his fight IQ to best Vera over three rounds. It is a dangerous fight, but Zahabi has entered his recent fights with effective strategies. … Jasudavicius continues to make gains each time out and if she is able to get takedowns, I don’t expect Fiorot to have an easy time getting up. I am surprised that the line is this wide. … Belgaroui could easily use his pedigree to out-strike Bekoev en route to a decision. I believe a decision is his best path.
Cage Lock: Drew Dober -454
Favourite: Charles Jourdain -173
Underdog: Jasmine Jasudavicius +210
Dart Throw: Melissa Croden by KO/TKO/DQ + 500
As much as I want Kyle Prepolec to win, it’s difficult to see it happening against UFC veteran Drew Dober. I’ll leave it at that and hope I’m wrong. … If Charles Jourdain is on his game he should be able to get past the wily Davy Grant who has been grinding out decision victories lately. Jourdain’s speed and striking ability will make him extremely elusive. It won’t be easy, but I think Jourdain gets his hand raised. … Niagara Top Team has been doing some unbelievable work with Jasmine Jasudavicius in the last two years and she has defeated established names in convincing fashion. Win or lose, she will leave it all in the Octagon and Manon Fiorot will need to be nearly perfect to defeat her. … Melissa Croden has been knocking out the competition on the regional scene and has the potential to continue this trend in the UFC despite the step up in competition.
Cage Lock: Danny Barlow -303
Favourite: Matt Frevola -115
Underdog: Brendan Allen +185
Dart Throw: Marlon Vera by split or majority decision +1000
Quickly glance at my record below and you’ll see my prediction radar has been wonky for most of 2025, especially in the second half of the year, but the moment Allen was named as Anthony Hernandez’s replacement my initial reaction was this was a bad style matchup for RDR. It’s far more interesting for the division if de Ridder wins but I see this main event as much closer than these odds suggest it’ll be. There are some decent live dogs on this card beyond Allen as well but I’m going with my gut on this one. … Danny Barlow and Djorden Santos are both coming off losses but I see Barlow as having the higher ceiling for potential and think he’ll be able to find a home for his left hand and return to the win column. … Frevola has been brutally knocked out in each of his past two but has had a year to recover from the most recent one. Nelson is also coming off a TKO loss but more than anything I see Frevola as having a few more tools at his disposal, including an underrated ground game. If his chin holds up I give the American the edge. … based on how they match up and how durable each is, Vera and Zahabi will likely go three rounds in a closely contested scrap.
Three legs: Luciano vs. Oliveira goes distance + Dober + Barlow
Parlay odds: +127 (to win: $127.22)
2025 STANDINGS AFTER 34 EVENTS
2025 winnings: +$293.91 (on $100 bets)
AARON’S RECORDS/TOTALS (72-62-2, +26.08 units)
Cage Lock: 28-5-1 (+$85.29)
Favourite: 18-16 (-$607.19)
Underdog: 17-16-1 (+$1,180.24)
Dart throw: 9-25 (+$1,950)
DAN’S RECORDS/TOTALS (70-62-4, -9.08 units)
Cage Lock: 29-5 (+$63.64)
Favourite: 19-13-1 (-$331.86)
Underdog: 19-14-1 (+$1,050.24)
Dart throw: 2-30-2 (-$1,690)
MIKE’S RECORDS/TOTALS (55-77-4, -29.61 units)
Cage Lock: 24-10 (-$215.84)
Favourite: 18-16 (-$345.89)
Underdog: 12-20-2 (+$235)
Dart throw: 1-31-2 (-$2,635)
Cage Lock: The pick deemed to be the wager most likely to win regardless of what the odds look like. The Cage Locks parlay will combine Aaron’s, Dan’s and Mike’s respective best bet for each event.
Favourite: A fighter with winning odds shorter than -300 but not longer than -110. On chalkier cards with a dearth of available moneyline favourites that meet those criteria, prop bets are allowed to be selected.
Underdog: Any fighter with longer odds than their opponent’s.
Dart Throw: Any prop bet or moneyline wager with odds of +400 or longer.
(Betting odds above are via BetMGM, submitted at various times throughout week, and subject to change prior to the fights)
