Marina Rodriguez says she’s confident she deserves to be the No. 1 contender in the strawweight division, and she’s eager to prove it Saturday against Amanda Lemos in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos. The clash of ranked contenders will anchor the main UFC fight card (7 p.m. ET) from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. It is widely believed that the winner between the No. 3-ranked Rodriguez and the No. 7-ranked Lemos will be next to challenge for the title. Rodriguez, who has won four straight, told the media this week she intends to remove all doubt by earning another impressive victory and locking up her first title shot. Lemos has won seven of six and can also enter the title picture with a win.

Rodriguez is a -210 favorite (risk $210 to win $100), while Lemos comes back at +180 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Welterweight contenders square off as veteran Neil Magny (-120) faces rising prospect Daniel Rodriguez (+100) in the co-main event. Before locking in any UFC Fight Night: Rogriguez vs. Lemos picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine combat analyst Kyle Marley. 

Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.

Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $13,000. The accomplished MMA analyst kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January by telling SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in the featherweight main event. Kattar’s lopsided unanimous-decision victory gave Marley’s followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos in sight, Marley has studied the card from top to bottom and revealed his top selections. Marley’s UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.

UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos preview 

The winner could immediately find herself in the title picture in a division that will soon see some clarity at the top. Current champion Carla Esparza will defend her belt next weekend at UFC 281 against second-ranked contender Zhang Weili. Regardless of the outcome, the winner of Saturday’s main event could have the next shot at the belt.

The only loss of Rodriguez’s career came in a split decision to Esparza in July 2020. Esparza has already beaten top-ranked Rose Namajunas twice and a rematch with Rodriguez (16-1-2) would generate strong public interest. If Weili wins, a matchup with either Rodriguez or Lemos (12-2-1) would make for a logical and entertaining first defense.

Rodriguez and Lemos squaring off against each other seemed almost inevitable given their similar career trajectories and fighting styles that involve world-class striking and fearless dispositions.

Rodriguez has faced better competition and gained status as a serious contender when she defeated grappling ace Mackenzie Dern in a five-round main event last October that garnered Fight of the Night honors. The Brazilian followed it up with a decision win over Yan Xiaonan in March.

Lemos lost by submission to former champion Jessica Andrade in April but rebounded with a submission victory against former contender Michelle Waterson in July. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here.

Top UFC Fight Night picks

We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC Fight Night selections here: He is siding with Grant Dawson (-230) to get past Mark Madsen (+195) in a matchup of lightweight prospects on the main card.

This has emerged as one of the most anticipated fights on the docket in large part because Dawson and Madsen have been engaging in heated verbal warfare throughout the week, and the winner is likely to crack the rankings in the promotion’s most crowded division.

Dawson (18-1-1) is undefeated in seven UFC outings, with a draw against Ricky Glenn last year serving as the only non-victory in his past 10 outings. The 28-year-old Wisconsin native has shown power and ground skills. He is coming off a second-round submission of Jared Gordon in April.

Madsen (12-0) is a former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling who is a bit of a late bloomer in the MMA world but is undefeated in four UFC appearances. The 38-year-old Danish fighter won a close decision against veteran Vinc Pinchel in April.

“Dawson is a solid grappler and he is dangerous on the ground. He can also set a pace that I don’t see Madsen keeping up with for three rounds,” Marley told SportsLine. See who else to back right here.

How to make UFC Fight Night picks 

Marley also has strong picks for Rodriguez vs. Lemos and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing a fighter who “should land more volume” to emerge with a dominant victory. Those UFC picks are only available at SportsLine. 

Who wins UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night, all from the incomparable expert who’s up more than $13,000 on MMA in the past three years, and find out.

UFC Fight Night odds, fight card

See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, and best bets here

Marina Rodriguez (-210) vs. Amanda Lemos (+180)
Neil Magny (-120) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (+100)
Chase Sherman (-125) vs. Josh Parisian (+105)
Tagir Ulanbekov (-200) vs. Nate Maness (+175)
Grant Dawson (-230) vs. Mark Madsen (+195)
Shaylin Nuerdanbieke (-200) vs. Darrick Minner (+175)
Miranda Maverick (-700) vs. Shanna Young (+500)
Mario Bautista (-300) vs. Benito Lopez (+250)
Polyana Viana (-135) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (+115)
Johnny Munoz (-240) vs. Liudvik Sholinian (+200)
Jake Hadley (-270) vs. Carlos Candelario (+230)
Tamires Vidal (-145) vs. Ramona Pascual (+125)